CNN’s Don Lemon attacked President Donald Trump during the opening segment of his show Wednesday, criticizing the language he had used in the Oval Office earlier in the day.
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Speaking to fellow CNN anchor Chris Cuomo as they transitioned from “Cuomo Prime Time” to “CNN Tonight,” Lemon argued that what the president really needed to do was to take a breather and observe a moment of silence.
“So this is what we need right now. This is what the president needs right now. You know what that is?” Lemon asked.
Cuomo replied, “Sound of silence?”
“Yes,” Lemon said.
“Calm?” Cuomo asked.
Lemon clarified, “He needs to sit in a room and just be quiet, and just be quiet because he is — what’s the word I want to — I’m not a psychiatrist. I’m not going to say anything that has anything to do with medical … And I think if he just sat and used his quiet for just a couple moments every day, he might have some sort of epiphany or at least some sort of clarity about what he should do and where he should go from here because I don’t think he realizes the gravity of what he is facing.”
Lemon went on to mention several testy exchanges between the president and reporters in the Oval Office earlier in the day. Trump had attacked House Judiciary Chairman Adam Schiff — who had demanded access to current and former members of the State Department — and defended Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. (RELATED: Schiff Issues Veiled Threat To Pompeo)
“Today I just — I cannot believe every single day how we are devolving into insanity, and there are people who are making excuses for it and who are trying to normalize it,” Lemon said. “Did you ever think you would hear the President of the United States in the White House, in the West Wing, refer to an athletic supporter — I’m not talking about a person, but a strap?”
“It’s not a bad word. Jock strap? Of all the things you’ve called me on television, that is too far,” Cuomo quipped.
“Refer to a jock strap in the Oval Office? Like come on, man,” Lemon shook his head.