Lemon Smears Trump Supporters as ‘Selfish’ for Opposing High Taxes

October 21st, 2020 12:16 AM

The hate was pumping during the Tuesday handoff between Cuomo PrimeTime and CNN Tonight as the host of the latter, Don Lemon, lashed out at dune buggy-riding Trump supporters. In another basket of deplorables and Boomer rubes-like moment, the bitter CNN host accused well-off Trump supporters of exposing their “selfishness” and lack of Christian values because they didn’t want to fork over more of their hard-earned money to taxes.

Lemon’s venom-spitting was rooted in a segment from Chris Cuomo’s show the hour before showing off Trump supporters taking part in a dune buggy rally in Oregon. “Boat parades, car caravans, bike parades. What attendees have in common is disposable income to spend on fun,” reporter Ellie Reed chided. “While Trump's working-class supporters have gotten a lot of attention, in 2016 a third of his voters made more than $100,000 a year.”

In an interview with Reed, Trump supporter Eric Nelson explained that he backed the President because he worked hard for what he had in life, even working to put himself through college, and didn’t want to have his money taken from him to just be given away or wasted:

The reason we're here to support Trump is because we believe that Trump will help us be able to keep the money that we make and let us be able to work as hard as we want and not give our money away. [SCREEN WIPE] People like Nancy Pelosi can, you know, get her fundings through to give money to people who aren't willing to work for it. I worked all my life. I had to work to put myself through college so I could get my job and do what I enjoy which is an activity like this, and spend $15-20,000 on toys because I choose to.

That one-third of well-off Trump supporters suddenly became President Trump’s base when Lemon decided to smear them. “It kind of dismantles that whole thing about economic anxiety was the reason that Trump got elected. Those people have no economic anxiety. They're rich,” he exclaimed, ignoring the other two-thirds of Trump’s 2016 voters.

 

 

Proving himself to be the bad-faith actor he was, Lemon pretended to be one of the Trump supporters featured in the report and claimed he only wanted money and didn’t care about other people. “But I want to be able to buy a $20,000 dune buggy. But I don't want to help people who may be in need,” he sneered.

Acting as though his ridiculous caricature of a Trump supporter was the reality, he demanded that they be honest about their evil intentions. “I want to be able to buy whatever which is fine, but just own up to it. And stop pretending the reason is economic anxiety,” he proclaimed. “But just be honest about what your intentions and what you think and stop pretending that it is something else.”

“It's actually, I think, it is selfishness because, listen, I do well,” he added, before insisting he was virtuous because he wanted to pay more taxes. “I don't mind paying more taxes for people who are not doing well, to help other people out. This is America. I will be okay. How much do I need? I can cut back. I can pay more.

First off, Don, if you want to pay more to the federal government you can send a check to the Treasury at this address. They’ll be happy to take it. Second, this was a great example of how liberal worship the government. Because according to Lemon, only the federal government was able to help people in need. And at no point did CNN ask or talk about how much the Trump supporters gave to charity.

“So, as Americans, as people, especially if you believe in the Christian values that you espouse, you're supposed to do unto others and help others,” he lectured as a false preacher. “So, I do that as much as I can. I don't like it, but I don't mind it in a way because I am blessed and fortunate enough to be in this position to make this amount of money where I am -- I have the privilege, I have the privilege, to be able to do that.”

Blowing what the report showed out of proportion, Lemon suggested Trump supporters were running around buying mansions and yachts like they were Hollywood liberals:

So, maybe you buy one less dune buggy, maybe you buy one less fancy car. Maybe you buy one less boat, maybe you buy one less yacht. Maybe you buy one less apartment, one less mansion. But how much money do you really need? That's all I got to say.

Lemon was also the kind of guy who lives in the swanky Sag Harbor community on ritzy Long Island, New York that was featured in Hamptons magazine, and then lies and claims he lives in Harlem.

Don Lemon’s hatred for Trump supporters was made possible because of lucrative sponsorships from LegalZoom and Vick’s. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the hatred they’re funding.

The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:

CNN’s Cuomo PrimeTime
October 20, 2020
9:44:57 p.m. Eastern

(…)

ELLIE REED:  Unofficial Trump events like this have been happening all over the country. Boat parades, car caravans, bike parades. What attendees have in common is disposable income to spend on fun. While Trump's working-class supporters have gotten a lot of attention, in 2016 a third of his voters made more than $100,000 a year.

(…)

ERIC NELSON: The reason we're here to support Trump is because we believe that Trump will help us be able to keep the money that we make and let us be able to work as hard as we want and not give our money away.

[Transition]

People like Nancy Pelosi can, you know, get her fundings through to give money to people who aren't willing to work for it. I worked all my life. I had to work to put myself through college so I could get my job and do what I enjoy which is an activity like this, and spend $15-20,000 on toys because I choose to.

UNIDENTIFIED MAN: He really is for your hard-working people. Do I think he's racist? No. I think he's racist against lazy people.

(…)

CNN Tonight
October 20, 2020
10:03:41 p.m. Eastern

DON LEMON: But I’ve got to tell you, the story that you did before that about the rich folks. It kind of dismantles that whole thing about economic anxiety was the reason that Trump got elected. Those people have no economic anxiety. They're rich!

CHRIS CUOMO: Well, they have economic anxiety.

LEMON: They got money.

CUOMO: They don't want to give more money away to taxes.

LMEON: And what does that say?

CUOMO: That used to be the traditional Republican which was you just didn't want to get taxed anymore, you wanted to keep your money.

LEMON: “I don't want to get taxed anymore. I don't want to get taxed anymore.” Listen, you do what you want. But I want to be able to buy a $20,000 dune buggy. But I don't want to help people who may be in need. I don't want to -- I want to be able to buy whatever which is fine, but just own up to it. And stop pretending the reason is economic anxiety.

If you have enough disposable income to play dune buggies in the desert – and listen, we all -- I like to have fun, you like to have fun. You like to go boating and fishing. But just be honest about what your intentions and what you think and stop pretending that it is something else. And stop ignoring the elephant in the room.

It's not really economic anxiety. It's actually, I think, it is selfishness because, listen, I do well. I don't mind paying more taxes for people who are not doing well, to help other people out. This is America. I will be okay. How much do I need? I can cut back. I can pay more.

Listen, trust me, I don't like it, I don't like paying a lot of it, but I do it because, what, when you said it's here [points to head], it's also here [points to heart] because I realize that it was -- when preparation and luck meet -- there's a certain degree of luck to where I am, to where you are, to where everybody gets. And so everybody can't have that. Some people don't have bootstraps.

So, as Americans, as people, especially if you believe in the Christian values that you espouse, you're supposed to do unto others and help others. So, I do that as much as I can. I don't like it, but I don't mind it in a way because I am blessed and fortunate enough to be in this position to make this amount of money where I am -- I have the privilege, I have the privilege, to be able to do that. No one likes to pay a lot of taxes, but we do it because we can. And not everybody can.

So, maybe you buy one less dune buggy, maybe you buy one less fancy car. Maybe you buy one less boat, maybe you buy one less yacht. Maybe you buy one less apartment, one less mansion. But how much money do you really need? That's all I got to say.

(…)