Anderson Cooper Tells Republican Leader ‘Don’t Be a D—‘ In Now-Viral Moment During Live TV Debate

Anderson Cooper surprised some viewers when he used a racy term to call out a Republican live on air. The moment happened Feb. 11 on CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” as the anchor was debating with former New Hampshire governor Chris Sununu. The politician was arguing that President Donald Trump’s administration has been transparent about its efforts to reduce government waste and expose fraud, but Cooper noted that neither Trump nor DOGE chair Elon Musk have provided evidence supporting those claims. Things heated up when Cooper told Sununu “don’t be a d—,” but the two men appeared to move on from the moment without a big reaction. While Cooper did apologize, Sununu says there are no hard feelings and is laughing it off. “He’s a great guy. I don’t take any offense to it whatsoever,” he told NewsNation’s Chris Cuomo.