Don Lemon responded to President Biden’s Thursday partisan screed by accusing GOP critics of playing word games, because in his mind there is a big difference between allegations that Biden called Republicans fascists and the fact that he called MAGA a semi-fascist ideology. Lemon further alleged that anybody who doesn’t appreciate this difference is suffering from hearing loss.
Arguing with Republican strategist Alice Stewart, Lemon claimed, “So, Alice, we have been -- since he made that speech, we have been going, you know, back and forth about exactly what was happening, who is he calling. You know, the -- I think it was the semi-fascism. He made a clear distinction tonight.”
Stewart correctly pointed out that Lemon was trying too hard to be clever, “He still attacked Republicans. Plain and simple. … I can just tell you, after seeing what I saw and hearing what I heard, that was a dark, depressing, and very divisive speech. And he did -- what he in the speech tonight was vilify half of this country but also doing so –”
Lemon then interrupted to claim Biden was only going after “MAGA Republicans” or “20 some percent of the voting public.”
After some crosstalk over whether “MAGA Republicans” means everybody who voted for Donald Trump or not, Lemon claimed, “It is as plain as day. He went out of his way and said, I want to make it very clear. And even when he gave the speech earlier in the week, he talked about a MAGA philosophy, a semi-fascism of MAGA philosophy. He did not say Republicans were fascists. So, why are we playing this word game or pretending that the president did and said something that he actually didn't say? I cannot let that stand, Alice. He did not say that.”
Stewart responded by urging Lemon to see things from her perspective, “Don, as a Republican, I'm telling you what Republicans heard.”
That only made Lemon more frustrated, “How exactly did he attack all Republicans? Where did he say all Republicans are -- MAGA Republicans or all Republicans are fascists or all Republicans are bad? What exact -- what was his exact language? Where did he say that?”
As Stewart tried to answer “he started last week when he called Republicans fascists and even--,” Lemon continued, “He did not call Republicans fascists, Alice! He did not call Republicans fascists. He said, he compared the MAGA philosophy to semi-fascism. He did not call all Republicans fascists. That's just not true. I'm sorry. It's not true.”
Stewart repeated her earlier claim that Republicans just aren’t buying Lemon’s word games, but Lemon then turned to insults, “Is there something wrong with Republicans' ear or the way -- or their interpretation? Because I cannot hear -- do they hear differently than other people? Because that's not -- and again, if I say -- I'm talking about MAGA Republicans and not all Republicans. How do you hear the word I'm talking about all Republicans?”
Trying her best to remain patient with Lemon, Stewart pointed out, “Don, the tone of the speech was clearly a direct hit against people that did not share his ideology. And he repeatedly vilified people that did not share his ideology.”
Stewart is correct, for all Lemon’s talk about MAGA Republicans and fascism versus semi-fascism, Biden also vilified pro-lifers and fear-mongered about contraception. That sounds like he was talking about more than 20 percent of the population.
This segment was sponsored by Select Quote.
Here is a transcript for the September 1 show:
CNN Don Lemon Tonight
9/1/2022
11:23 PM ET
DON LEMON: So, Alice, we have been -- since he made that speech, we have been going, you know, back and forth about exactly what was happening, who is he calling. You know, the -- I think it was the semi-fascism. He made a clear distinction tonight.
ALICE STEWART: He still attacked Republicans. Plain and simple. Look, Don, I remember when President Biden was sworn in. I was actually very encouraged and optimistic about a new tone and a new tenor and a new direction and really bringing this country together. And tonight's speech about the soul of our nation, I can just tell you, after seeing what I saw and hearing what I heard, that was a dark, depressing, and very divisive speech. And he did -- what he in the speech tonight was vilify half of this country but also doing so –
LEMON: But half of this country are not MAGA Republicans. That's not accurate, Alice.
STEWART: Look –
LEMON: It's 20 some percent of the voting public.
STEWART: 74 million Americans voted for the person.
LEMON: But they're not all MAGA Republicans. They're not all MAGA Republicans.
STEWART: That ran against Joe Biden. Look, the bottom line is we're Republicans, and he's talking about Republicans.LEMON: But he made a distinction about Republicans. Exactly -- you said, listen, I hate doing this because it makes me seem like it's political, but if you're going to come on and distort the truth, he did not say all Republicans. He is not talking about the 75 -- all of the 75 million people or 77 million people who voted for Donald Trump.
It is as plain as day. He went out of his way and said, I want to make it very clear. And even when he gave the speech earlier in the week, he talked about a MAGA philosophy, a semi-fascism of MAGA philosophy. He did not say Republicans were fascists.
So, why are we playing this word game or pretending that the president did and said something that he actually didn't say? I cannot let that stand, Alice. He did not say that.
STEWART: Don, as a Republican, I'm telling you what Republicans heard.
LEMON: How exactly did he attack all Republicans? Where did he say all Republicans are -- MAGA Republicans or all Republicans are fascists or all Republicans are bad? What exact -- what was his exact language? Where did he say that?
STEWART: Don, he started last week when he called Republicans fascists and even [crosstalk] –
LEMON: He did not call Republicans fascists, Alice! He did not call Republicans fascists. He said, he compared the MAGA philosophy to semi-fascism. He did not call all Republicans fascists. That's just not true. I'm sorry. It's not true.
STEWART: Don. I hear what you're saying and what you're trying to do. I'm telling you what Republicans hear when he is saying that. He’s putting –
LEMON: Is there something wrong with Republicans' ear or the way -- or their interpretation? Because I cannot hear -- do they hear differently than other people? Because that's not -- and again, if I say -- I'm talking about MAGA Republicans and not all Republicans. How do you hear the word I'm talking about all Republicans?
STEWART: Don, the tone of the speech was clearly a direct hit against people that did not share his ideology. And he repeatedly vilified people that did not share his ideology, and did so in a way that he was able to distract from his policies that are not working in this country, when we're talking about high inflation, we're talking crime, we're talking about immigration.
And this was a perfect opportunity as a president of the United States to actually raise the temperature. I was encouraged with one of the lines that he said in his speech tonight, that we all need to show a willingness to not treat each other as enemies but as friends. I wish he would have done much more of that. He spent the first 12 minutes of the speech talking about the former president and those who support him. I was really optimistic, Don, about a speech that unified this country but he showed greater division.
