House Judiciary Committee Chair Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) told CNN’s Kaitlan Collins not to put words in his mouth during a tense exchange on Thursday.
But moments earlier, the staunch Donald Trump loyalist had literally said them himself.
The awkward moment came as Jordan defended Trump over rising gas prices, which have climbed during the president’s Iran war, despite Jordan previously attacking former President Joe Biden on the same issue.
Collins pressed Jordan on Trump’s 2024 campaign promise that gas prices would fall below $2 a gallon if he returned to office.
Jordan responded that “gas prices were coming down until we had to deal with this situation.”
Then he added: “But, you know, that’s life.”
He went on to argue the increase was the result of decisions Trump is making “that are going to help our country.”
Collins pushed back, noting that for Americans who were paying $2.98 a gallon before the conflict and are now paying $4.53, being told “that’s life” might not offer much reassurance.
Jordan replied: “Those are, those are your words. Not mine. I’m saying…”
Collins cut in: “No, you said, ‘That’s life’ just now.”
Jordan swerved the point, instead defending Trump’s reasoning for striking Iran despite U.S. intelligence assessments indicating the country was not actively pursuing nuclear weapons.