Don Lemon Slams Trump in Fiery Rant Over D.C. Air Disaster Blame
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WASHINGTON – Former CNN host Don Lemon reignited his long-running feud with Donald Trump on Monday, launching into a fiery, insult-laced rant after the president blamed diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives—without evidence—for last week’s deadly air disaster over Washington, D.C.
In a video interview published by TMZ, Lemon mocked Trump’s comments, arguing that by his own flawed definition of DEI, the president himself was the ultimate unqualified hire.
“Donald Trump, by his definition of what DEI is – which he thinks is unqualified people – that’s not what it is, right? But by his definition, he is a DEI hire,” Lemon said while waiting at what appeared to be an airport baggage terminal. “Donald Trump is the most unqualified person to be President of the United States ever. He’s a nepo baby among other things that I could say, but I’d rather not use those words.”
Lemon’s outrage stemmed from Trump’s claim in the White House briefing room last week that diversity programs played a role in the tragic D.C. crash. According to Lemon, such accusations marked “a new low” even for the president.
“He’s a terrible person, he’s a terrible person,” Lemon continued. “And for him to get up there in the moment that he did when there were still bodies in the water… it’s a new low even for him, and he should be embarrassed. And all the MAGA people who support and voted for him should be embarrassed.”
The former CNN anchor also took aim at Trump’s cabinet picks, particularly those who stood beside him at the briefing. “All those four white men—under their definition of DEI—they would also be DEI hires,” Lemon said.
He then singled out one of Trump’s most controversial appointments, conservative commentator and former military officer Pete Hegseth, who was tapped to lead the Department of Defense.
“Do you think Pete Hegseth is qualified to be defense secretary?” Lemon asked. “Only in the stupid crazy MAGA-brained world is a Fox News host qualified to be defense secretary. So, for him to say, to blame it on DEI, he should take a look in the mirror and take a look at his own appointees.”
Lemon closed his remarks with a blistering critique of Trump’s character, calling him a racist and reaffirming a claim he first made years ago. “Donald Trump is a racist,” Lemon told TMZ. “And he solidified that to the nation – to the world – standing there at that briefing room.
He is a racist. I said it seven years ago and shocked everybody at CNN, and seven years later I’m proven right.” Lemon’s comments sparked a fresh round of debate online, as Trump allies dismissed his remarks while critics of the president amplified them.
