‘The Truth Is Often Insulting’: Don Lemon Accused of Reversed Racism After Saying There’s No Such Thing As a ‘Rational’ Black MAGA Supporter
Former CNN host Don Lemon apparently got under the skin of Black conservatives over the weekend after slamming their continued support for President Donald Trump, telling political host Bill Maher, “I don’t think that you can be Black and be a rational MAGA person.”
Lemon made the controversial remarks during Sunday’s episode of Maher’s HBO political talk show “Real Time with Bill Maher,” setting off a wave of backlash on social media.
Following Lemon’s suggestion that Black MAGA was half-baked, Maher pushed back, saying, “I think they would find that very insulting,” to which Lemon coolly responded, “Well, I mean, the truth is often insulting.”
The comments had MAGA supporters seeing red on X, with one shared video going viral with more than 3.5 million views and thousands more who reshared the footage.
Much of the outrage erupted from Black conservatives, who clapped back at Lemon for his alleged hypocrisy.
“Don Lemon doesn’t think ‘rational’ black people can’t be pro-MAGA,” wrote Delano Squires, who lists himself as a research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation. “That’s quite a statement coming from a person whose party thinks men can get pregnant. Don doesn’t realize it yet, but this type of cultural gatekeeping isn’t as effective as it used to be.”
In the comments section of Squires’ post, someone accused Lemon of reverse racism.
“This is racism from Don Lemon,” the person wrote. “It’s unfortunate that we’re still seeing attempts to gatekeep based on identity.”
Others were up in arms, feeling personally disrespected by Lemon’s remarks.
“Former CNN journalist Don Lemon just disrespected every Black conservative in America on Bill Maher show after claiming you can’t be rational if you’re Black and support Trump,” another post stated along with the video clip.
Many called Lemon’s point of view irrelevant. Others blamed Lemon as part of the reason that race relations are declining in America.
“Don Lemon’s views are so antiquated and narrow,” one verified user wrote. “The notion that all black people need to think the same is inherently racist. People of color are not monolithic. They have different experiences and views. They’re still playing 2008 politics.”
In another thread, a commenter argued that Black people were just as much a part of the MAGA movement as white people.
“This is such an insult to black people. Why would he think black people shouldn’t want or strive for Make America Great Again?” she stated. “The MAGA movement is made up of Americans from all races. Mainly because it’s not a race thing, it’s Americans wanting a better country, and a better life for themselves, their children, and grandchildren.”
However, her remarks drew outrage, with many commenters pointing out that, “You’re not Black,” and “How would you know what is insulting to us?”
The remarks also conveniently overlooked the violent incident where an unidentified Black man was physically attacked by two white MAGA supporters while standing in line at a Trump rally in Saginaw, Michigan, where polls had identified a remarkable influx of Black Trump supporters.
One person also noted: “As long as people like Don Lemon keep separating people by race, we will never get rid of racism in America.”
Despite his abrupt firing from CNN in April 2023, Lemon has stayed in the spotlight as an independent journalist, using his online platform to push boundaries and shape narratives around his beliefs—while often taking aim at Trump supporters.
Lemon bluntly told conservative voice Megyn Kelly to “Go f–k yourself!” after she publicly celebrated Joy Reid’s cancellation at MSNBC in late February.
The month before that, Lemon slammed former President Barack Obama for chumming it up with President-elect Donald Trump during the funeral service for former President Jimmy Carter before Trump took office.
However, Lemon flipped the script on Democrats during the 2024 campaign, winning praise from conservatives after he questioned the viability of then-Vice President Kamala Harris for president while casting doubt on polls that showed her leading Trump at the time.
Lemon made the comments on MSNBC’s “Inside With Jen Psaki,” where he discussed Black support for Trump. Lemon claimed he had traveled through key swing states, interviewing Black voters who told him they were planning to vote for Trump based on the 2021 stimulus check they received with Trump’s signature on it. He then highlighted Trump’s growing appeal in the Black community, whom he said was ready to “vote with their wallets.”
The host then reminded Lemon of his previous statements calling Trump “a racist on television” and asked whether the people he spoke with shared that view.
Lemon didn’t argue, noting that he had repeatedly criticized Trump for “lying” to the American people and for unmistakable dog whistles on the campaign trail.
“Of course, I think he is racist. Look at his rhetoric and his track record, and anyone can see that,” he said before questioning why so many Black people support Trump, suggesting that voters were steered by “how much or how little money they had in their pockets.”
Lemon sparked more outrage by suggesting that Black voters were ignoring Trump’s record and supporting him simply for the chance to get another stimulus check similar to federal relief issued during the pandemic — even though Trump had made no such promise.
“We talk about low-information voters. I like to call them low-partisan-information voters because many of the people I spoke to were not sitting in front of the television every single day and every single night following every micro breaking news development about Donald Trump and what’s happening in politics,” Lemon said.