Former CNN host Don Lemon announced that he has been considering a 2028 presidential run, and has talked with his friends in politics about how to make a successful bid.
The “Can’t Be Censored” podcast hosts interviewed Lemon at his New York City home on Wednesday, where Lemon was asked whether he was considering running for president.
“People keep asking me if I’m running for president, and I don’t know, I might, because people keep asking me to do it and if I’m going to do it,” Lemon said, later adding, “I actually think I would be a really good president of the United States. I’m being totally serious.”
Lemon also believes that the state of the economy and the quality of other candidates could spur a presidential run.
“I look around, you know, and I see the folks who are, you know, possibly in the running, and some of them are impressive,” Lemon said. “Many of them, most of them, are not. And it seems in this day and age you don’t have to have a ton of political experience because our current president has none — had none.”
Looking directly at the camera, Lemon continued. “The current president is not doing a great job for the working-class people, for the American economy. He’s doing a fantastic job for his rich friends,” he said.
When asked whether he has considered the logistics of a presidential run and if he has formed an “exploratory team,” Lemon said “I’ve stuck my toe into it.”
“I’ve talked to people about it, people who have been in politics before, and asked, what would it take? When would I have to get in to do it?” Lemon said.
Lemon stated that he would prefer not to rely on big donors and he wants to keep his unfiltered way of speaking if he were to run for president.
“They tell me, ‘You can’t tell these types of stories during dinner parties if you want to be president of the United States. Because I like to have fun. And I have a potty mouth,” Lemon said.
“I would like to run, and I don’t know if this is realistic or not, without having to beg for money. I would like it to be a voter, citizen-driven campaign for as much as it can be,” Lemon said. “I would rather the people of the United States to say, ‘That’s the guy that we want. I’m gonna give him five dollars or ten dollars.’”
“As we get closer to 2027 or 2028, I’ll see, I’ll decide. But I have enough on my hands right now,” Lemon concluded.
Lemon was fired from CNN in 2023, and while no official reason was ever given, most news sources such as AP news attributed it to his off-color remarks about then-51-year-old Nikki Haley not being “in her prime.” If Lemon were to mount a presidential campaign in 2028, he would be 11 years older than Haley was at the time he made those comments.
Lemon attributed his termination to racism and homophobia among CNN’s higher-ups.
“I didn’t think that they treated me with any dignity and respect. I blame the management and the people who are in control … They wanted to get rid of me as the gay black guy. 100% what it was,” he said.
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