Over the weekend, CNN host Don Lemon, joined by far-left CNN contributor Wajahat Ali and NeverTrump Republican Rick Wilson, mocked conservative Americans as ignorant rubes who can’t read and don’t understand maps.
Notably, Mr. Lemon, who’s currently tangled in a “sexually charged assault” allegation, uncontrollably laughed during the clip.
“Donald Trump couldn’t find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter U and a picture of an actual physical crane next to it,” Wilson said during the segment. “He knows that this is, you know, an administration defined by ignorance of the world, and so that’s partly him playing to their base and playing to their audience, you know, credulous boomer rube demo that back Donald Trump, that wants to think that Donald Trump’s a smart one, and y’all — y’all elitists are dumb.”
Ali interjected, “You elitists with your geography and your maps and your spelling even though—”
“Your math, your reading,” Wilson mocked.
“Yes, your reading, you know. Your geography knowing other countries. Sipping your latte,” said Ali.
Lemon, laughing throughout the exchange and buckling over to catch his breath, ended the segment: “Sorry, hold on. Wait, wait. Give me a second. Hold on. Hold on. That was good. Sorry. Rick, that was a good one. I needed that.”
WATCH:
The arrogance, the dismissiveness, the smug cackling, the accents.
If Donald Trump wins re-election this year, I’ll remember this brief CNN segment late one Saturday night in January as the perfect encapsulation for why it happened. pic.twitter.com/8kQ6zN9AZV
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) January 28, 2020
After the clip went viral on Monday, backlash grew against Lemon and the rest of his network, which is struggling for ratings.
President Trump reacted to the clip by simply calling Lemon “the dumbest man on television.”
Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television (with terrible ratings!). https://t.co/iQXCc7lvCt
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2020
Eldest Trump daughter and Senior White House Advisor Ivanka Trump captioned the clip, “You consistently make fun of half the country and then complain that it is divided.”
“The arrogance, mocking accents and smug ridicule of this nation’s ‘Real Elites’ is disgusting,” she added.
You consistently make fun of half the country and then complain that it is divided.
The arrogance, mocking accents and smug ridicule of this nation’s ‘Real Elites’ is disgusting. https://t.co/p3RQzymx4s
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 28, 2020
“Wondering if [CNN] is going to acknowledge (apologize) for this arrogant & divisive view of our country. There’s a reason trust in our media is at an all time low,” posted White House Press Secretary Stephanie Grisham.
Wondering if @cnn is going to acknowledge (apologize) for this arrogant & divisive view of our country. There’s a reason trust in our media is at an all time low. https://t.co/1nGfb6g3i0
— Stephanie Grisham (@PressSec) January 28, 2020
Former digital producer at CNN and opinion writer Steve Krakauer commented, “The arrogance, the dismissiveness, the smug cackling, the accents.”
“If Donald Trump wins re-election this year, I’ll remember this brief CNN segment late one Saturday night in January as the perfect encapsulation for why it happened,” Krakauer said.
The arrogance, the dismissiveness, the smug cackling, the accents.
If Donald Trump wins re-election this year, I’ll remember this brief CNN segment late one Saturday night in January as the perfect encapsulation for why it happened. pic.twitter.com/8kQ6zN9AZV
— Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) January 28, 2020
“My God,” wrote New York Post writer Sohrab Ahmari. “They learned nothing from 2016 and its aftermath. Nothing from Brexit and its aftermath.”
My God. They learned nothing from 2016 and its aftermath. Nothing from Brexit and its aftermath. https://t.co/fGwJPHgshT
— Sohrab Ahmari (@SohrabAhmari) January 28, 2020
“Don Lemon at the end, ‘oooo, that was good.’ They’re not laughing because they’re happy. They’re laughing because they’re miserable, and misery loves company,” radio host Annie Frey said.
Don Lemon at the end, "oooo, that was good." They're not laughing because they're happy. They're laughing because they're miserable, and misery loves company. https://t.co/yRnDkFLD05
— Annie Frey (@anniefreyshow) January 28, 2020
Podcast host Stephen Miller mocked, “The most telling thing about the Don Lemon segment is no one commented on it when it aired. No one watched it.”
(The segment was first aired on Saturday night, and did not go viral until Monday morning when conservative media picked it up.)
The most telling thing about the Don Lemon segment is no one commented on it when it aired. No one watched it.
— Stephen Miller (@redsteeze) January 28, 2020
The Daily Wire’s Jessica Fletcher called the segment a “MUST WATCH.”
“[Don Lemon] and his guests trash conservatives as illiterate hillbillies who can’t figure out a map. Never forget, THIS is what the liberal ‘elites’ think of you,” she added.
This is a MUST WATCH clip. @donlemon and his guests trash conservatives as illiterate hillbillies who can't figure out a map.
Never forget, THIS is what the liberal "elites" think of you. pic.twitter.com/dN6wu4eEIg
— Jessica Fletcher (@heckyessica) January 28, 2020
Related: Video Of CNN Mocking Trump Supporters Goes Viral; Trump Fires Back
This article has been revised to clarify that Lemon is being sued for a “sexually charged assault,” rather than a sexual assault.