Former CNN anchor Don Lemon returned to the network on Tuesday for an “OutFront” interview with Erin Burnett, saying former President Trump's hateful rhetoric has incited violence directed at him.
Lemon's comments came after Trump blamed Democrats for an assassination attempt on Sunday that ended when the Secret Service found a gunman hiding in bushes on Trump's golf course.
“But for Donald Trump and his aides and J.D. Vance to say it's the Democrats who are causing this … is problematic,” Lemon said of Trump's running mate.
The interview was Lemon's second appearance on CNN since he was fired in April 2023, ending his 17-year career with the company. He cited some of the insults and inflammatory comments Trump has made against people he sees as political opponents and said warnings against Trump returning to the White House were justified.
“He calls everyone who works in this building an 'enemy of the people,'” Lemon said of Trump's comments to mainstream media outlets, including CNN, before listing nicknames for other opponents: “Bad Joe. Bad Hillary. Bad Kamala. Comrade Kamala. Crazy Jack Smith. Dim-witted Nikki Haley,” he said.
“If he's not elected, there won't be another election,” Lemon added. His own show On YouTube and social platforms.
“[I]”If Donald Trump wants to stop Kamala Harris and others from saying he's a threat to democracy, then he should stop threatening democracy,” Lemon told Barnett. “Maybe he shouldn't try to overturn the election results, or overthrow the government, or incite an insurrection.”
after that Second assassination attempt For nearly two months, Trump has repeatedly blamed Democrats for security threats. Ryan Wesley Routh allegedly camped out for nearly 12 hours with an AK-47-style rifle at Trump's golf course in West Palm Beach, Florida, when Secret Service agents spotted him a few hundred feet from the former president. The Secret Service fired shots at the suspect and arrested him before anyone was injured. The Secret Service later said the suspect did not fire any shots and never had Trump in sight.
“The rhetoric, lies exemplified by the false statements made by Comrade Kamala Harris at ABC's rigged and partisan debate, and all the ridiculous lawsuits specifically designed to damage Joe and Kamala's political opponent, ME, have taken our nation's politics to a whole new level of hate, abuse and distrust,” Trump said yesterday. The truth of society.
Both President Biden and Vice President Harris condemned all forms of political violence against the former president.
Biden released a statement after Sunday's incident, saying he was “relieved” that the former president was unharmed.
“As I have said many times, there is no room for political violence or any kind of violence in our country, and I have directed my team to continue to ensure that the Secret Service has all the resources, capabilities and safeguards necessary to provide the ongoing security of the former president,” he said.
