In a fiery and profane tirade, former CNN anchor Don Lemon exploded in anger over recent gestures of civility toward newly elected President Donald Trump, directing his anger at former President Barack Obama.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Lemon denounced what he called an alarming normalization of behaviorHe deemed it dangerous, specifically referring to Obama’s apparently loving interaction with Trump at Jimmy Carter’s funeral last week, during which the pair laughed, smiled and chatted with each other.
Lemon began by addressing Obama’s polite exchange with Trump, saying, “You need to make it clear to the American people that this is not normal… sneering at someone you’ve been calling a fascist for the past few years and months.” That’s not normal.’
He then accused Obama of delivering the wrong message at a critical moment, criticizing him for engaging with a man whose supporters, Lemon alleged, have also perpetuated vicious insults against the former first lady.
“Barack Obama is a classy guy,” Lemon acknowledged, before unleashing his anger. “But these are the very same MAGA people who called, and Donald Trump helped promote it by calling Michelle Obama a man.
‘I won’t smile in your face if you call my sister, my mother or my wife a man. F*** you!
‘People are tired of behavior being normalised. Civility does not mean befriending people or abandoning your morals, your principles and your character,” he continued.
Lemon’s ire then extended to MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago and discussed the need for civility toward the Trump administration during a recent episode of Morning Joe.
Former CNN anchor Don Lemon erupted in anger over recent gestures of civility toward newly elected President Donald Trump, directing his ire at former President Barack Obama
The pair were seen smiling, laughing and chatting as they sat next to each other at Jimmy Carter’s funeral in Washington DC.
Lemon accused Obama of sending the wrong message at a critical time and criticized him for associating with a man whose supporters, Lemon alleged, have continued vicious insults against the former first lady.
Citing commentary from guest Susan Glasser of The New Yorker, Lemon seized on her warning that excessive politeness can encourage authoritarian tendencies, drawing a parallel to the early years of Vladimir Putin’s rule in Russia.
“They’re trying to civilize people, right? And they’re having these battles over civility when the entire structural fabric and nature of society was deteriorating,” Lemon said, becoming visibly more irritated.
‘You stupid idiots! You’ve been co-opted because you’re in a cult, and you don’t even realize it because you have a stupid MAGA brain. How stupid and stupid are you?”
Lemon argued that showing tolerance does not mean sacrificing your principles.
“Courtesy does not mean befriending people or abandoning your morals, your principles and your character,” he said.
“If someone disrespects my loved one, I don’t have to smile in their damn face!” And they will know.’
Lemon highlighted the hypocrisy he sees among leaders and media figures who are now calling for unity after years of divisive rhetoric from Trump and his allies.
“If Ted Cruz can’t stand up for his wife, who calls Donald Trump ugly, who will he stand up for?”
Lemon’s anger then extended to MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, who recently visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago
“If Ted Cruz can’t stand up for his wife, who calls Donald Trump ugly, who will he stand up for?” Cruz was pictured with his wife Heidi earlier this month
Lemon’s outrage was not only personal, but also political.
He warned that gestures of civility, such as Obama’s polite engagement with Trump, could signal broader acceptance of what he sees as dangerous ideologies.
“If they will apparently acquiesce so publicly, what does that mean in the broader sense of the fabric of the fabric of our society?”
His closing salvo left little doubt about his position: “Listen, you guys could be right. Maybe this is a masterful chess move, but I don’t believe it. And if not, shame on you for normalizing this behavior.”