CNN’s Alisyn Camerota asked former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) if he ever gets “dizzy living in upside-down world” on Friday, implicitly criticizing him for defending President Trump Donald John TrumpBiden on Trump's refusal to commit to peaceful transfer of power: 'What country are we in?' Romney: 'Unthinkable and unacceptable' to not commit to peaceful transition of power Two Louisville police officers shot amid Breonna Taylor grand jury protests MORE.

Things got heated between Camerota and the CNN contributor as they discussed the aftermath of Trump’s summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The discussion began with Santorum saying that he felt Trump handled the press conference with Putin “very poorly.” He then said that the Trump administration’s policies have been tougher on Russia than Trump’s own words.

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That’s when Camerota made her reference to the Netflix series “Stranger Things,” whose protagonists battle monsters in an “the upside-down,” a world that is a bizarre version of the show’s actual setting.

“The White House, of course, tweeted yesterday that he [Trump] is inviting Vladimir Putin, as you know, a former KGB officer who has reporters killed, who is also not a fan of the free press and his political rivals, to the White House. I just want to know do you ever get dizzy living in upside-down world?” asked Camerota.



“I don’t like it when the president tweets out things that undermine the First Amendment,” Santorum replied. “The free press is an important element in our society. Does the press get it wrong a lot? Does the press vilify the president more than any president ever in history?”

“And does the president vilify the press more than any president in history?” Camerota retorted.



“Yes ... it’s an unusual relationship, I’ll give you that,” replied Santorum.



“And you're comfortable with that? It is the First Amendment,” Camerota shot back.



“No, I’m not comfortable with it. But I’m also not comfortable with people going after the president, accusing him of treason and calling for impeachment.”

CIA Director John Brennan John Owen BrennanJournalism or partisanship? The media's mistakes of 2016 continue in 2020 Comey on Clinton tweet: 'I regret only being involved in the 2016 election' Ex-CIA Director Brennan questioned for 8 hours in Durham review of Russia probe MORE accused Trump of treason after remarks the president made at Monday’s press conference with Putin.



“You know these are former intel people,” Camerota said in reference to Brennan.

“Yeah, former intel guys who have a long history of doing things that are more harmful than what the president did,” Santorum argued.



“I just have to clarify, you seem to have been comfortable [with Trump] standing next to Vladimir Putin and blaming America?” Camerota replied.



“No. I'm not comfortable with that,” Santorum said, before noting that it’s to Trump's advantage when “people go ballistic and call for things like treason.”

If the Putin visit occurs as planned in the fall, it will mark the first time he has visited the White House since November 2001 for a meeting with President George W. Bush.