Following a long-winded shouting match between CNN Prime Time host Chris Cuomo and former Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) where the latter defended comments he made about the European and Judeo-Christian founding of America, CNN Tonight host Don Lemon lost his mind during the handoff. The irate CNNer was screaming about how Santorum was wrong and how, supposedly, “Europeans did not found this country” but “it was here” before them.
“I’m breathing heavy right now,” Lemon announced after Cuomo finished his pompous and self-righteous handoff smearing Republicans. Huffing and puffing like the Big Bad Wolf, Lemon recounted how he was sitting in his office and fuming at the TV:
I was furious watching that interview in my office. I cannot believe the first words out of his mouth weren’t I’m sorry, I said something ignorant, I need to learn about the history of this country. No contrition, didn't talk about the suffering that Native Americans have had to deal with in this country.
Completely ignoring how Santorum had acknowledged the plight of Native Americans and condemned it, Lemon lashed out.
“Did he actually think it is a good idea for him to come on television and to try to whitewash the whitewash that he whitewashed,” he shouted. “I mean, it was horrible. It was horrible. And insulting and I apologize for the viewers who were insulted by it.”
“I’m sorry, it was so egregious and insulting and everything that we talked about about the founding of this country,” he added before dropping his ridiculous and factually fraudulent assertion:
Europeans did not found this country. It was here, the Native Americans had this country before the Europeans came. Yes, the European conquered the country, they colonized it. But they didn’t found -- It had nothing to do with the founding of this country.
To put it bluntly, what Lemon claimed was either insanity or a naked attempt to rewrite history through the corrupted lens of critical race theory.
Yes, Native Americans inhabited the North American continent before the arrival of Europeans, but it was NOT the United States of America. It was a series of smaller tribal nations. Yes, Europeans conquered the Native Americans, just like those tribes did to other tribes and other races had done to themselves and others. Conquest was a huge driver of human history. In fact, our species was suspected of having driven other intelligent primate species to extinction during our rise to the apex.
Santorum was right to say that it was the Judeo-Christian values and enlightened thinking that helped the Founders craft our current country. That's a fact. And the Native Americans did provide a measure of influence on the founders. Now, that doesn't mean people from non-European backgrounds are excluded from the American experience or discount the principle that all people are created equal.
Despite that these facts have stood for hundreds of years, Lemon angrily proclaimed: “I am sorry, but that is the truth,” then slammed his hands on his desk. Cuomo then tried to hint that Santorum, and ultimately others who agreed with him, were racist. He even suggested they must be viewed that way so Lemon could deal with his “pain.”
At one point, Lemon seemed to admit that he didn’t know what he was getting angry about in terms of Santorum, but it had something to do with race so he had to be mad:
I don't know the outrage. I don't know anything about this whole Rick Santorum thing. I don’t know about that. I was just sitting, watching that interview and I heard bits and pieces of it and when I saw him, said was he going to apologize? Cause I knew initially what he said, but I don't know anything about the outrage. I knew nothing about that.
As they were nearing the end of the handoff, Lemon lashed out at Trump supporters and claimed they’re the kind of people who “believe that America was founded in the image was white people, and that the country was built in their image, and therefore the election should go their way.”
Now, if what Santorum said was so “wrong,” “egregious and insulting,” why was he still on the CNN payroll? This is CNN.
Don Lemon’s attempt to heinously rewrite American history in a rage-fueled tirade was made possible because of lucrative sponsorship from ADT Security Service and 23andMe. Their contact information is linked so you can tell them about the biased news they fund.
The transcript is below, click "expand" to read:
CNN Tonight
May 3, 2021
10:00:23 p.m. EasternDON LEMON: I’m breathing heavy right now. Because you know how the person you need to be saying that and who need to hear it, is Rick Santorum. I cannot – I was furious watching that interview in my office. I cannot believe the first words out of his mouth weren’t I’m sorry, I said something ignorant, I need to learn about the history of this country. No contrition, didn't talk about the suffering that Native Americans have had to deal with in this country.
I mean [exasperated breath] Rick Santorum, really? Who – Did he actually think it is a good idea for him to come on television and to try to whitewash the whitewash that he whitewashed? I mean, it was horrible. It was horrible. And insulting and I apologize for the viewers who were insulted by it. Because I was sitting in my office furious because he's done it so many times. So, many times.
And it so – I’m sorry, it was so egregious and insulting and everything that we talked about about the founding of this country.
Europeans did not found this country. It was here, the Native Americans had this country before the Europeans came. Yes, the European conquered the country, they colonized it. But they didn’t found -- It had nothing to do with the founding of this country. And he should recognize that.
He needs to know that especially if he's going to be on television representing us and talking about it. He should be doing it from the right perspective and not from some perspective about how and what Europeans – No, that's the wrong way to look at it. He’s – it’s all wrong.
I am sorry, but that is the truth. And [slams hand on the desk] I can't believe I was watching going, “I cannot believe this man was sitting here and doing this.” It was like the for Black Lives Matter, it was Native American Lives Matter moment for me watching that.
CHRIS CUOMO: Well, ask yourself this, once --
LEMON: Jesus.
CUOMO: -- you deal with the emotion of it. Why are things like that said? And why does he not apologize but say --
LEMON: That's not for me to answer. That's for him to answer.
CUOMO: But you have to because otherwise, you are not going to have any place to put your pain.
(…)
LEMON: I don't know the outrage. I don't know anything about this whole Rick Santorum thing. I don’t know about that. I was just sitting, watching that interview and I heard bits and pieces of it and when I saw him, said was he going to apologize? Cause I knew initially what he said, but I don't know anything about the outrage. I knew nothing about that.
(…)
LEMON: That's why you have an insurrection. You have an insurrection because people believe that America was founded in the image was white people, and that the country was built in their image, and therefore the election should go their way. It’s the same thing that Rick Santorum is saying about Native Americans, and the lack of the contribution or what have you. It’s the same thing. I think people know that. I just think people are tired of being insulted every single day to their faces as if they don’t know that.
(…)
