Former CNN host Don Lemon said former President Trump's campaign is unsure how to tackle Democratic candidate Harris, who has been rising in the polls.
Lemon told MSNBC's Jen Psaki late Monday that it was a “smart” idea for Harris' campaign to ask her microphone not to be muted during next month's presidential debate. He also suggested that Trump would have a hard time responding to Harris on stage.
“You have to listen to exactly what Donald Trump is saying and how he's treating the women he's talking to onstage. He's in trouble right now,” Lemon said. “I think he's finding himself in a situation that he's not comfortable with, which is answering to a very smart woman, and in this case, he's answering to a Black woman.”
“I think he's in a bind right now. He doesn't know what to do with her. He was hopeful he was going to be running against President Joe Biden and now he's running against a Black woman who's gaining popularity, closing the polls, closing the polls. He doesn't know what to do. He's lost his mind,” she added.
The dispute over debate rules has raised questions about whether Harris and Trump will debate at all, after her team began asking that her microphone not be muted for the entire broadcast — a change from rules agreed to when Biden was the presumptive nominee.
Trump said Monday he didn't care if his microphone was muted, but he slammed ABC News, which is hosting the debate, and questioned whether he would take part.
Lemon suggested the Harris campaign wanted to keep Trump's microphone unmuted to catch him saying something he shouldn't.
“I think the Harris campaign is aware that he has a tendency to lose his temper on stage and say things that will get him in trouble,” Lemon said.
He said there was “a lot” about Harris that irritated Trump.
“But I think anyone who calls out his bullshit, anyone who doesn't follow him, is a problem. And I think he understands that in this post-convention world, there are a lot of people in the United States who are in love with Kamala Harris,” she added.
“Don Limon is currently posting videos to YouTube that are attracting as many as 1,000 viewers per video. He is suffering from a severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome and requires medical treatment,” Trump campaign spokesman Stephen Chang said in a statement to The Hill.
“Indeed, President Trump thoroughly thwarted Joe Biden in the debates, and he will do the same with Comrade Kamala,” Chang added. “The Kamala campaign knows and fears they have a flawed candidate who will short-circuit if she doesn't stick to the script.”
Updated 10:47 a.m.
