Despite Donald Trump’s claims that CNN and other media bodies had cut off his latest rally midway, CNN carried it live in its entirety. And after it was over, the first face to appear on the screen was Don Lemon with the blistering commentary you see above. The CNN host said what many were thinking at home and already posting on Twitter, flat out calling the president a liar, a child, and an embarrassment to the United States.
The president’s latest campaign stop ruffled feathers before it even began, but Trump did himself no favors with his tone and shared a far different demeanor than he did with his speech on Afghanistan from only one night earlier. As Lemon says, the rally was a “total eclipse of the facts” with the president attempting to massage history by misleading on Charlottesville and his controversial policies:
“Someone who came out on stage and lied directly the American people and left things out that he said in an attempt to rewrite history, especially when it comes to Charlottesville.”
“He’s unhinged, it’s embarrassing and I don’t mean for us, the media because he went after us, but for the country. This is who we elected president of the United States, A man who is so petty that he has to go after people he deems to be his enemy, like an imaginary friend of a 6-year-old…
“A man backed into a corner it seems by circumstances beyond his control and his understanding. That’s the truth. If you watch that speech as an American, you had to be thinking what in the world is going on?”
Lemon continued, calling Trump “petty” and “small,” wondering how the president is meant to pull the nation together while still ranting on stage. It also led to a discussion about the ongoing rumors that many in Washington believe Trump is truly “unfit” to be president and how tonight’s rally plays into that. Former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper seemed to indicate that this was a serious implication during his appearance, even saying Trump might not want the job.
DON LEMON: Is he a threat to national security, the president?
JAMES CLAPPER: Well, he could be…I worry about him with the nuclear codes
— igorvolsky (@igorvolsky) August 23, 2017
James Clapper on CNN calls Trump speech "downright scary and disturbing"
— Scott Wong (@scottwongDC) August 23, 2017
(Via CNN)