What to Know
President Donald Trump has a reputation for going after journalists and late-night hosts. He often acts like they’re bad at their jobs and like no one really listens to what they say (you might remember how he has repeatedly emphasized several late-night hosts’ supposedly low ratings). He did the same thing when asked about former CNN anchor Don Lemon’s recent arrest, choosing to focus on attacking the journalist’s character instead of addressing the controversy.
Lemon was arrested after attending a protest at a church in Minnesota, though he has said he was there as a journalist. Trump called Lemon’s arrest “the best thing that could have happened to him.”
Perhaps unsurprisingly, Trump tried to act like no one really paid attention to Lemon prior to the arrest.
Lemon’s arrest has raised concerns about press freedom under the Trump administration, but instead of speaking about that, he acted like he didn’t really know anything about the situation and implied that the arrest has had a positive impact on Lemon’s career.
“No, I don’t know anything about the Don Lemon thing,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One, per The Hill. “But he’s a sleazebag. Everyone’s known that.” Focusing on his personal feelings about Lemon, he also called him “a washup” and added that the arrest was “probably from his standpoint, the best thing that could have happened to him.”
Trump suggested that Lemon’s journalism career was failing before the arrest made headlines. “He got no viewers,” Trump claimed. “He was a failure. He’s a failed host, and now he’s in the news. I didn’t know anything about it, no.”
Lemon has said that he will continue to speak up and report on the news.
After his first court appearance on Friday, January 30, Lemon said he has been covering the news throughout his career and has no plans to stop. “In fact, there is no more important time than right now, this very moment, for a free and independent media,” he said, per Politico.
He also said, “Last night, the DOJ sent a team of federal agents to arrest me in the middle of the night for something that I’ve been doing for the last 30 years and that is covering the news. The First Amendment of the Constitution protects that work for me and for countless other journalists who do what I do. I stand with all of them and I will not be silenced.”
