Abby Phillip, host of CNN NewsNight, addressed the heated argument on the show last week that appeared to minimize slavery in America after President Donald Trump chimed in with a new polarizing Truth Social post.

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On Aug. 13, Biggest Loser coach and Trump supporter Jillian Michaels had a meltdown on CNN defending white people in a debate about Trump’s efforts to censor the Smithsonian and rewrite history.

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When Jillian went back and forth with other guests to suggest that the blame for slavery can’t be attributed to one race, the conversation went viral, and people were not happy about it.

CNN

Since Abby has responded in an Aug. 20 Instagram post to bring clarity to what was one of the most jarring political conversations this summer, and that’s including radicalist and entertainer Amanda Seales arguing with 20 Black conservatives. View this photo on Instagram

@abbydphillip / Instagram: @abbydphillip

“Last week, on this show, a guest shocked the table by arguing — in part — that slavery in America can’t just be blamed on one race and that museums put too much focus on the role of white people who participated in that terrible institution,” Abby said in the video.

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Abby referenced Donald Trump’s Aug. 19 Truth Social post that said “The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was,” after claiming American museums are the “last remaining segment of ‘WOKE.'”

@realDonaldTrump / truthsocial.com

Addressing the heated debate between Jillian and everyone, Abby said, “What we try to do on this program is create a platform for discussion and debate. Debate that reflects the very real differences that exist in this country,” Phillip said. “It’s what echo chambers in our society failed to do, frankly. But on this topic, it’s important to say, objectively, slavery was indeed bad. It was evil, the nation’s original sin.” Abby captioned the social media post, “Some people think we talk too much about slavery in America. But you can’t understand this country without it.” In the video, Abby shares history, firsthand accounts, and imagery of slavery in America to challenge Jillian and the president’s claims.

So, Jillian first appeared on a CNN NewsNight panel with a Democratic strategist Julie Roginsky, legal analyst Elie Honig, Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY), and conservative commentator Scott Jennings.

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Julie accused the president of “trying to change culture” so it doesn’t offend his MAGA supporters, and Jillian responded: “Can you address some of those things in there? Because have you looked at some of the things in there?”

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When Julie said, “Yes, slavery was a bad thing we should talk about,” Jillian argued that he’s not “whitewashing slavery” and “you cannot tie imperialism and racism and slavery to just one race, which is pretty much what every single exhibit does.”

Michaels: You cannot tie imperialism and racism and slavery to just one race, which is pretty much what every single exhibit does… Only less than 2% of white Americans own slaves. You realize that slavery is thousands of years old?

Phillip: I’m very surprised you are trying to… pic.twitter.com/KOe9rSAcTV

— Acyn (@Acyn) August 14, 2025

@acyn / Twitter: @Acyn

After Jillian tried her darndest to minimize the impact of slavery in America and “litigate who was the beneficiary of slavery,” Abby asked, “In the context of American history, what are you saying is incorrect by saying it was white people oppressing Black people?”

CNN Jillian responded, “Every single thing [in the Smithsonian] is like, oh, no, no, no, this is all because ‘white people bad,’ and that’s just not the truth.”

The BuzzFeed audience was not amused by Jillian’s statements, with many calling out how “disturbing” her comments were. Here’s what some people said:

“So their argument is, we can’t say slavery in America was bad because white peoples’ feelings might get hurt? Guess what? If learning about slavery makes you feel bad? Congratulations – you are a good human being with empathy for others and everything.” —eecsmom

“It’s outrageously disgusting and disturbing that Jillian Michaels, a lesbian woman, is out here defending slavery and the MAGA cult when Trump and his administration of idiots want to destroy LGBTQIA + rights.” —OftheWilds

“CNN is complicit in these horrifying narratives by giving racist, uninformed, unqualified people a platform. This is not a matter of balanced journalism, it is amplifying hatred for views.”

Abby’s segment on the history of slavery was indeed “powerful,” as people in comments like Jemele Hill said. Yet, our desire to understand our history, good and bad, shouldn’t be reactionary or placed on the shoulders of the people greatly affected by its generational traumas.

@abbydphillip / Instagram: @abbydphillip

Learn your history, so no Truth Social post or former reality TV personalities can rewrite it.