Former CNN host Don Lemon advised former President Trump on Monday to tone down his own rhetoric if he wants political violence in America to stop.
The journalist made the statements while appearing on his old network Monday night, telling CNN anchor Erin Burnett that Trump needs to include himself when pointing to political rhetoric following a second assassination attempt in two months.
"And so, if Donald Trump wants people, wants Kamala Harris and others to stop saying that he is a threat to democracy, then he should stop threatening democracy," Lemon said.
DONALD TRUMP SAFE AFTER SHOTS FIRED OUTSIDE PALM BEACH GOLF CLUB
Trump assassination attempt suspect Ryan Routh was arrested on Sunday after being caught by U.S. Secret Service members, allegedly preparing to shoot Trump with a rifle at the Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach, Florida.
While the former president golfed, an advance team spotted Routh’s muzzle sticking out of a chain-link fence near where Trump would eventually play. Agents shot at the suspect, who ran and was eventually arrested while trying to flee the scene in a vehicle. The FBI announced it’s investigating the incident as an assassination attempt. Trump was unharmed and the suspect did not fire any shots in his direction.
In the wake of another brush with death – just two months after a gunman shot him in the ear at a rally in Pennsylvania – Trump pointed to rhetoric employed by his political opponents to demonize him as the root of this attempted violence.
However, Lemon argued that Trump should look in the mirror and tone down his own rhetoric.
"But for Donald Trump and his folks to say – and JD Vance to say – that it’s Democrats who are causing this … that’s an issue," he began.
The journalist then listed out the ways Trump has demonized his opponents in the media and in politics.
"So, he’s called everyone who works in this building ‘the enemy of the people,’ right? We had pipe bombs sent because he kept calling us ‘the enemy of the people,’ and that CNN was fake news," said Lemon, who worked for CNN from 2006 until his firing last year.
"Crooked Joe. Crooked Hillary. Crooked Kamala. Comrade Kamala. Deranged Jack Smith. Birdbrain Nikki Haley. Bloodbath if he’s not elected," he continued, referring to remarks by Trump referring to an economic bloodbath in the auto industry if he lost.
Still, Lemon went down the list, paraphrasing Trump’s pointed rhetoric: "There won’t be another election if he’s not elected. Bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. Poisoning the blood of our country. Destroying the blood of our country, which was something that was Hitler-esque. Communists. Marxists. Fascists."
He said Trump "shouldn’t be trying to overturn elections, overthrow the government, and inciting insurrections if he doesn’t want people to be honest about what he is, who he is, and what he’s doing."
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Trump campaign spokesperson Steven Cheung ripped Lemon for his comments in a statement to Fox News Digital, accusing him of having a "severe case of Trump Derangement Syndrome." He added, "There have been two heinous assassination attempts on President Trump, and the Democrats and Kamala Harris' violent rhetoric are directly to blame."
"Their outright lies and weaponization of the justice system to perpetuate countless witch-hunt hoaxes against President Trump have been nothing short of disgusting and abhorrent. If the Democrats and Kamala Harris do not come out and apologize for their hateful rhetoric and tone down their attacks that have stoked the flames of violence, they are explicitly advocating for and inciting more bloodshed against President Trump."
