CNN host Don Lemon said Thursday that he “had to get rid of” friends who support President Donald Trump because they are like addicts who “have to hit rock bottom” to see the depths of their denial.
“I had to get rid of a lot of people in my life because sometimes you just have to let them go,” Lemon told colleague Chris Cuomo as the two introduced “CNN Tonight.” “I think that they have to hit rock bottom, like an addict, right? And they have to want to get help.”
“They have to want to know the truth,” Lemon continued. “They have to want to live in reality. They have to want to be responsible, not only for other people’s lives, but for their lives.” Lemon acknowledged how “sad” it was that he might never be able to “be friends with those people” because they could be “too far gone.” (RELATED: Chris Cuomo And Don Lemon Pump Each Other Up With Matthew McConaughey Hum-And-Chest-Thump)
However, the CNN host said he would be willing to “welcome them with open arms” if they admit the error of their ways in supporting Trump and “live in reality.” But for the moment, Lemon said, he “can’t do it anymore.”
Lemon and Cuomo had been discussing the urgency of wearing masks and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic — something they say Trump and his supporters are reluctant to do even after Lemon is willing to “show them the science.”
“They are so nonsensical when it comes to this issue. They have every single talking point that they hear on state TV and that they hear from this president: they repeat it and they are blinded by it.” RELATED: CNN’s Don Lemon: United States Is ‘Teetering On A Dictatorship’)
US President Donald Trump wears a mask as he visits Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on July 11, 2020. (Photo by ALEX EDELMAN/AFP via Getty Images)
In July, Trump told Americans to wear a face mask when they can’t social distance during the pandemic — “Get a mask. Whether you like the mask or not, they have an impact,” he said.
Lemon once laughed uproariously during a panel discussion as pundit Rick Wilson lampooned Trump supporters as ignorant, rural bumpkins. When he addressed his behavior, Lemon blamed his guests for the incident.