CNN Tonight host Don Lemon suffered a meltdown for the ages Saturday night, spending almost 11 minutes unloading his disdain for America in 2020 and, except for a mealy-mouthed condemnation, giving support for the rioting and other criminal acts supposedly done to mourn the Monday death of Minneapolis African-American man George Floyd.
Lemon’s defense? Apparently, this will all serve as a “mechanism for a restructure of our country or for some sort of change,” ostensibly in our criminal justice and political system seeing as how so many feel as though they “have nothing to lose.”
And for those upset with the rioting and people losing their livelihoods? Well, Lemon mocked them because, according to him, this kind of destruction led to America’s founding with the Boston Tea Party.
Let’s go through this monstrosity. Lemon began his commentary after seeing live footage of a fire next to the Hay Adams hotel in Washington D.C.: “This is a country that is in chaos right now and no one knows what is going to happen. This is unfolding right in front of our very eyes.”
After stating the obvious that “[t]his is an unusual and unprecedented time for our country,” Lemon defended the violent scenes as perhaps a necessity to enact change and hypocritically bemoaned the division in America (click “expand,” emphasis mine):
As I came on air tonight with you at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, there are 40 million Americans tonight who are out of work. There are more than 100,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19. There are people who are upset about the death -- millions of Americans and people around the world seeing the death of a man at the hands of a police officer on videotape and we don't know what is happening in this country right now. Perhaps this is some sort of mechanism for a restructure in our country or for some sort of change in our country for us to deal with whatever we need to deal with in this country.
As we look at pictures on the right of burning and pictures on the left of looting in Los Angeles. I actually don't know -- I am at a loss for words as a person sitting here guiding you through this. I really don't know what to say at this moment except for this is America. This is where our country -- this is what it has come to right now. And I am wondering who is going to step into the void and call for some calm and try to pull us altogether instead of dividing us. This is a deep division that is in our country.
Next, Lemon offered his throwaway line that “[n]o one condones what's happening” and “[t]his is actually quite sad to watch.”
In the very next sentence, he undermined his case: “[I]t’s indicative of the pain and sadness in this country of people who feel they have no other alternative but to exhibit this behavior in our country. No other option. When you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to lose.”
After another hypocritical plea for someone to call for calm and unity and false claim elected officials haven’t spoke up, Lemon ghoulishly mocked those expressing dismay at the rioting and Americans losing their businesses and jobs because….this is like the Boston Tea Party (click “expand”):
When did this country get out of control? When did we lose control of this country? When did we cease to be a country -- a group of people who wanted to at least live together in spite of the differences? Because of our differences. Isn't that the whole reason for the thing? That we are here because we want -- because we are different. That we're supposed to try this grand experiment and let's not forget, if anyone judging this, I'm not judging this. I'm just wondering what is going on because we were supposed to figure out this experiment a long time ago. Our country was started because --- this is how --- the Boston Tea Party. Rioting.
So, don't --- do not get it twisted and think that oh, this is some --- something that has not --- never happened before and this is so terrible and where are we and these savages and all of that. This is how this country was started, but we thought that we had at least figured it out and gotten beyond that, where we could live together in some sort of democracy, but this is not democracy. This is, quite frankly, anarchy.
Lemon’s lies continued with the insistence that Republican leaders have offered nothing but “silence” and that they need to be more like Senator Kamala Harris (D-CA) and House members John Lewis (D-GA) and Ilhan Omar (D-MN). Don could have consulted tweets here, here, here, here, here, and here, and that’s just a start.
The CNN hack shifted his attack to Hollywood and his fellow lefties there, demanding they not only join him in his punditry and left-wing activism, but appear on CNN or any other major news outlet to express “anger.”
For his finale, Lemon continued to lie, wondering if he’s “the only voice….calling for people to come to together and to --- who’s calling for peace”:
I want to hear a message of hope. [POUNDS TABLE] What do we do? I am a cable news anchor and I am trying to figure out what we do. I cannot be the only person, the only voice who are calling for people to come together and to --- who's calling for peace. Look at this. Are you watching, America? Are you watching? Do you see this? Can you please help me? Can you? The time is now.
Despite CNN’s years of partisanship and priming Americans to, in the words of Tucker Carlson, “hate one another,” Lemon’s pleas for sanity rung hollow. If things weren’t so deadly, depressing, and dire, one could have said it was humorous.
To see the full transcript of Lemon’s meltdown, click “expand.”
CNN Tonight with Don Lemon
May 30, 2020
11:47 p.m. EasternDON LEMON: This is a country that is in chaos right now and no one knows what is going to happen. This is unfolding right in front of our very eyes. We are getting these pictures in live. You are seeing the pictures for the first time as I am seeing them for the first time and so I am talking you through this as I am seeing it. This is an unusual and unprecedented time for our country. As I came on air tonight with you at 9:00 p.m. Eastern, there are 40 million Americans tonight who are out of work. There are more than 100,000 Americans who have lost their lives to COVID-19. There are people who are upset about the death -- millions of Americans and people around the world seeing the death of a man at the hands of a police officer on videotape and we don't know what is happening in this country right now. Perhaps this is some sort of mechanism for a restructure in our country or for some sort of change in our country for us to deal with whatever we need to deal with in this country. As we look at pictures on the right of burning and pictures on the left of looting in Los Angeles. I actually don't know -- I am at a loss for words as a person sitting here guiding you through this. I really don't know what to say at this moment except for this is America. This is where our country -- this is what it has come to right now.
And I am wondering who is going to step into the void and call for some calm and try to pull us altogether instead of dividing us. This is a deep division that is in our country and how apropos that it is as I am watching this from east to west -- or west to east on our TV screen, it spans the entire country, from Los Angeles to Washington, D.C., from the from the entertainment --- entertainment capital of the world to the seat of political power in the world and you're looking at all different demographics on the left hand of your screen going into that store and taking things out. I haven't seen this since --- since Rodney King, to frank with you and no one condones what's happening in --- in these --- in this video, or in these live pictures that are coming into us from Los Angeles. This is actually quite sad to watch and it is an indication and it’s indicative of the pain and sadness in this country of people who feel they have no other alternative but to exhibit this behavior in our country. No other option. When you have nothing to lose, you have nothing to lose and then on the right of our --- side of our screen in the seat of political power, not far from the White House, a fire raging. Firefighters on the scene and we have since this all I should say -- and I want to make sure that is clear. Since all of this chaos broke out this evening, no call for calm, Americans coming together, we are all one. Not that I have heard of I sure would like to hear that. I sure would like to hear that we are all Americans and we all need to stick together. We all need to come together because if we can't live together as Americans, then what do we have? Do we even have a country anymore? This is unbelievable what is happening here. Unbelievable.
From west to east. East to west. I have shown you pictures of just about every major city in this country, from Los Angeles to New York to Washington to Seattle to Philadelphia to Chicago, to Minneapolis, Miami. All over. When did this country get out of control? When did we lose control of this country? When did we cease to be a country -- a group of people who wanted to at least live together in spite of the differences? Because of our differences. Isn't that the whole reason for the thing? That we are here because we want -- because we are different. That we're supposed to try this grand experiment and let's not forget, if anyone judging this, I'm not judging this. I'm just wondering what is going on because we were supposed to figure out this experiment a long time ago. Our country was started because --- this is how --- the Boston Tea Party. Rioting.
So, don't --- do not get it twisted and think that oh, this is some --- something that has not --- never happened before and this is so terrible and where are we and these savages and all of that. This is how this country was started, but we thought that we had at least figured it out and gotten beyond that, where we could live together in some sort of democracy, but this is not democracy. This is, quite frankly, anarchy and so far, silence. I've heard from the great John Lewis tonight. I've heard from some of the leaders who've called in. Hey, listen. I've heard from Senator Kamala Harris. I've heard from Ilhan Omar. I've heard from some Democratic leaders. I would love to hear from some Republican leaders. Please call in and talk me. I really do. I want to hear what you have to say about this. I really do. I want to hear what the president has to say. I really do. I want to hear from everyone, but so far, I have heard nothing. And you know who I also want to hear from? I want to hear from -- this is who I want to hear from and I'm going to call people out because a lot of these young people, not all young people are out there looting and rioting. We heard from young people who were out there because they were upset about what's happening in their country and they are taking the lead, stepping into the void, and fighting for what's right. They're sick and tired, but yet, the people who have made it, many of them who are of color, and white folks as well, they are --- these people who --- these young people have put themselves on the line. They have nothing. They're not wealthy. They're poor kids, a lot of them who are out there, but a lot of people I asked to come on the show to talk about this, wealthy celebrities, wealthy political people, “I can't do it,” “I'm mad,” “I don't want people to see me mad, it might hurt my business” or “I'm so upset that I have to go to my country house and I just can't do it.” Where are you? Why aren't you fighting for these young people? If you don't do it now, when are you going to do it?
If you are a millionaire or a zillionaire or a movie star or a politician and you don't step up now, when the hell are you going to do it? Stop making excuses. What are you worried about if you have made gazillions of dollars and you are rich and you have established --- why are you afraid of what someone else is going to think about you and your anger? That it's going to hurt your business or your reputation or your -- I hate this word, this drives me crazy --- your brand, quote unquote. I hate that. You are your brand. Step up, people. Step up, black Hollywood. Come on. Get out there. Come on CNN or wherever. I don't care where you go. You can go on Fox News. You can go on MSNBC. You can go on ABC, CBS. I don't care where you go, but get out there and talk about this. Get on social media. Beyonce released a message. You can't? You can't step up and talk about the injustices? You can't step up for these young people who are out there who are mad?
If you don't do it now, when are you going to do it? Where's the black leadership? I want to hear from everyone. I want to hear from the former President. I want to hear from the former First Lady. and I already said I want to hear from the current President. I want to hear from the current President. I want to hear a message of hope. [POUNDS TABLE] What do we do? I am a cable news anchor and I am trying to figure out what we do. I cannot be the only person, the only voice who are calling for people to come together and to --- who's calling for peace. Look at this. Are you watching, America? Are you watching? Do you see this? Can you please help me? Can you? The time is now. Go to break.
