KEY POINTS

  • Don Lemon said during a handoff on CNN that he's had to leave many friendships because of their support of Donald Trump
  • Conservatives on social media said it was another example of pervasive liberal bullying
  • Liberals countered that as an African American Lemon couldn't condone an ideology that doesn't value him as a human being

CNN host Don Lemon drew conservative ire Thursday when he talked about having to "cut people out of his life" due to their support of Donald Trump.

Conservatives attacked him on social media, saying liberal intolerance and political pressure is the problem with today’s society. Others defended him and commiserated with their own experiences of losing family to what Lemon likened to drug addiction.

“I come from a red state… there are a lot of friends I had to get rid of because they were so nonsensical when it comes to this issue,” Lemon said. “They’re too far gone. They’d say something really stupid and I’ll show them the science and give them the information but they still repeat those talking points.”

Lemon spoke about the conservative media ecosystem and its role in proliferating talking points across right-wing ideological spaces.

“Every single talking point they hear on state TV and they hear from this president, they’re blinded by it,” he continued. “Sometimes you have to let them go. They have to hit rock bottom, like an addict. They have to want to get help, they have to want to know the truth, they have to want to live in reality.”

Don Lemon
"CNN Tonight" anchor Don Lemon held up a sign with the N-word during Monday night's broadcast. Pictured, Lemon attends "The 35 Most Powerful People In Media" celebrated by the Hollywood Reporter in New York, April 8, 2015. Reuters/Eduardo Munoz

The discussion wasn’t based on any political theory. Lemon and fellow anchor Chris Cuomo were discussing the resurgent COVID-19 and its impact on ravaged Southern states.

“All the while the state is a hotspot,” Lemon said, “Now the red states are the problem. … But they have to want to be responsible not only for other people’s lives but for their own lives. I don’t know if after this I will be able to go back and be friends with these people. I can’t do it anymore.”

Conservatives characterized Lemon as an extremist and part of a larger trend of liberal political bullying.

But others were more understanding, noting that as an African-American who is openly gay, many of Trump’s hateful messages were a direct attack on Lemon. Lemon on many occasions has discussed comments by Trump that were considered racist.

Lemon, 54, grew up in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.

He joined CNN in 2006 and hosts "CNN Tonight."

RELATED STORIES
Coronavirus Donald trump