Don Lemon Discusses Trump’s Influence on CNN

In a recent conversation with comedian Trevor Noah, former CNN anchor Don Lemon expressed his belief that President Donald Trump has been manipulating the network for publicity. During the episode of “What Now?” that aired on Thursday, Lemon, who was let go from CNN in 2023, noted how Trump’s tweets tend to dominate the news cycle, which seems to be shrinking every day.

Noah provocatively asked, “Did you guys at CNN realize he was treating you like puppets?” Lemon acknowledged, “Oh, yes. Honestly, they probably knew somewhere deep down, but it was just too good for their business model.” He referenced the former CBS CEO Les Moonves, who famously remarked that while Trump might be detrimental to the country, his presence was beneficial for business.

Noah also recalled that ex-CNN president Jeff Zucker recognized early on that Trump could draw in viewers, calling him a “one-man ratings machine.” Lemon corroborated that Zucker didn’t dictate what they should say but encouraged them to fact-check and engage with Trump directly during interviews.

He illustrated this by saying that the manner in which questions were framed could significantly affect the responses. “You could ask about my hair, or you could compliment it before going into tougher questions,” Lemon explained. “It’s all about the approach you take.”

Interestingly, a study from February indicated that CNN’s viewership had decreased by more than 40% from its peak years during Trump’s presidencies, reflecting a notable decline during what some termed the “Trump bump.” In the years leading to 2016, the network averaged 1.3 million prime-time viewers, but by 2025, that number had dwindled to just 573,000.

Fox News Digital has reached out to CNN for further comments regarding these claims. The significant drop in ratings raises questions about the network’s direction amidst this heavy influence from Trump.