CNN’s Don Lemon recently received criticism for mocking former First Lady Melania Trump as she recounted the horrifying experience of watching the failed assassination attempt against her husband, former President Donald Trump, at his Butler, Pennsylvania, rally in July. Conservatives have criticized the liberal media for downplaying the assassination attempt against Trump, or in this case, outright mocking Melania’s response to it.
Lemon originally shared the video to his TikTok account, where he recorded himself reacting to a statement from the former First Lady surrounding her upcoming book, “Melania,” which offers her perspective on the contentious times the country has faced in recent years. However, the video has since been deleted, presumably due to Lemon receiving backlash about the crass nature of his reaction.
In the footage, Melania said, “The attempt to end my husband’s life was a horrible, distressing experience. Now, the silence around it feels heavy. I can’t help but wonder, why didn’t law enforcement officials arrest the shooter before the speech? There is definitely more to this story. And we need to uncover the truth.” While Melania was speaking, Lemon could be seen rolling his eyes, shaking his head, and making other mocking and dismissive gestures.
Users on social media called on Lemon to remove politics from the situation and show more empathy toward the situation, given that Melania nearly witnessed her husband die in front of her eyes. “Hey @donlemon, so can you have empathy for a human without considering politics for once in your life?” one user wrote, commenting on the video.
Another person noted that everyone, regardless of politics, should be appalled by the horrific assassination attempt at Trump’s rally, which claimed the life on an innocent supporter in the stands. “We should all be distressed when someone tries to kill a former president and actually kills an innocent man in the crowd. Do better Don Lemon,” they wrote.
Another person wrote, “Don Lemon’s behavior is nothing short of disgraceful. Mocking Melania Trump as she shares her deep distress over an attempted assassination of her husband is not just unprofessional, it’s downright cruel. What kind of person finds humor in a situation where someone’s life is at stake, let alone the leader of a country? Lemon’s smug dismissal of her genuine fear shows a lack of empathy and basic decency. It’s astonishing that someone with such insensitivity is given a platform to spew his contempt under the guise of journalism. Truly a shameful display.”
Others shared disbelief as to what would compel such a reaction to Melania’s video. “Is there something funny here? I don’t get the reaction. Trump was almost assassinated and our media wants to make light of it like the whole thing is conspiracy theory? A man died!” they wrote. Another person called out the seeming double standard in the media, writing, “If this situation were reverse and it was a conservative media outlet mocking Michelle Obama or Jill Biden if an attempt had been made on their husbands’ lives you would be going SCORCHED EARTH on anyone mocking that.”
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Watch the controversial video below: