Don Lemon Tries To Explain Video Mocking Trump Supporters, Instead Makes It Worse
CNN’s Don Lemon might not be the “dumbest man on television,” but he sure must think viewers are stupid.
Faced with an outpouring of outrage over a video that showed him doubled over his desk with laughter as two guests on his show mocked the intelligence of President Donald Trump supporters, the Trump-hating host tried to backpedal Tuesday night, but only ended up making things worse.
Not only did his explanation lack even the semblance of an apology, Lemon actually tried to plead ignorance about what was said clearly on his own television show.
Lemon has embarrassed himself before on TV before (public drunkenness isn’t even the worst of it) but this was close to a new bottom.
And it was so bad, the Republican National Committee is already using it for an advertisement.
Lemon’s latest problem started Monday, when a video went viral showing his Saturday panel discussion featuring anti-Trump author and political strategist Rick Wilson and New York Times contributing opinion writer Wajahat Ali pouring scorn on the supposed ignorance of Trump supporters.
The exchange lasted more than a minute, and included Lemon actually wiping tears of laughter from his eyes. But on Tuesday night, faced with well-deserved backlash, Lemon tried to claim he meant no offense.
“During an interview on Saturday night, one of my guests said something that made me laugh. And while in the moment, I found that joke humorous. And I didn’t catch everything that was said,” Lemon said.
“Just to make this perfectly clear, I was laughing at the joke and not at any group of people.”
#BREAKING: @DonLemon addressing the now-viral Saturday @CNNTonight segment mocking and showing such venom toward Trump supporters. Not surprisingly, Lemon deflected: “I don’t believe in belittling people….In the moment…I didn’t catch everything that was said.” pic.twitter.com/oI4eNz7rkR
— Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 29, 2020
For anyone who watched the video, it’s tough to believe he didn’t catch “everything that was said.”
Wilson’s original joke referred to Trump specifically, but that was only 20 seconds in. The remainder of the time featured Wilson and Ali making fun of the “credulous boomer-rube demo” that makes up the president’s base.
Just as a reminder, here’s the video in full. (You’ll see why Trump captioned his tweet about it “Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television.”)
America, this is what CNN thinks of you…
pic.twitter.com/puuVjRLlw1— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) January 28, 2020
Americans who reject the far-left insanity of the modern Democratic Party – with its distaste for American tradition, embrace of illegal aliens and bizarre obsession with “transgender” issues – got a stark demonstration of how little the liberal media actually thinks of them.
And considering the mainstream media is essentially a subsidiary of the Democratic Party, it’s not too far a jump to take it as an indication of what the Democratic leadership thinks of them, too.
The RNC wasted no time in putting that perception to use with an advertisement combining segments from the Lemon clip with statements made by prominent Democrats — Joe Biden, Hillary Clinton, Pete Buttigieg — to make the point clear.
The ad is titled “They Think You’re a Joke,” and it’s tough to deny.
There’s no question that it strikes a nerve.
This will get more viewers than @donlemon gets.
— Laura (@LauraL2126) January 29, 2020
They laughed when he said he would run, they laughed when he became the nominee, & they laughed all the way to election night 2016. THEN THEY CRIED! And haven’t stopped whining or trying to take down a legitimate president! They still DON’T UNDERSTAND TRUMP! They will CRY AGAIN!
— LoveToWin! (@BRNordgren) January 29, 2020
It’s shameful that Democrats openly parade their disdain for half of the Citizens of our country. More importantly, what do you think they will do if they regain control of the executive branch? It will make the IRS scandal look like child’s play.
— Matthew Kolken (@mkolken) January 29, 2020
That last one puts it almost perfectly.
Yes, it’s shameful that liberals and Democrats put their contempt for their fellow citizens on full display — without apparent regard for the consequences.
But that isn’t all. What’s even more shameful is behavior like Lemon’s — when confronted about his video, he tried to backpedal to tell viewers that what they plainly saw, they didn’t see.
If Lemon had outright apologized for laughing at the offensive “jokes” by his guests, his sorry excuse that he didn’t hear “everything that was said” might have held water.
As it was, he was defiant, claiming that he would never laugh at “any group of people” — when two panelists on his show viciously mocked 63 million Americans while Lemon wiped tears of laughter from his eyes.
The Saturday night video showed that liberal commentators think Trump supporters are ignorant. Lemon’s statement Tuesday night showed he must think his own viewers are stupid, too.
This was one backpedal that only made things worse.
Truth and Accuracy
We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.
