Dons Lemon & Trump: A funny recollection
I never watched CNN with any regularity. In short, their political reporting always seemed stodgy. But for some reason I turned it on one spring evening in 2011. Since I was probably going to nap on the couch, it didn't matter what was on, and what was on CNN was Don Lemon at the news desk in a jocular phone interview with a true fascist-at-heart. It was the night after the White House Correspondents Dinner which trump had attended and where jokes were made at his expense. Some of those jokes were made by President Obama himself.
During the interview trump was his acerbic, loud, classless self throwing around various insults (though he complimented Obama on his comic delivery) while Lemon laughed off trump's more biting remarks with a lot of "aw shucks, come on Donald," before throwing more bait out for trump to attack. While this charade wasn't all that dangerous at the time, it certainly wasn't newsworthy. It was trump taking advantage of whatever demand there was of him. When you're a celebrity, CNN let's you do it.
Of course Don Lemon briskly cut off trump because of breaking news that the administration of the president that trump was attempting to undermine in those days had just successfully taken out Osama bin Laden.
Looking back, I don't really begrudge Lemon for being the company guy and engaging in that sort of "reporting" with someone whose only skill was self-promotion and whose only value was self-service. Of course, how could it ever have occurred to him back then "one day this guy is going to have me arrested because I disagree with him." Lemon's not saying "aw shucks, come on Donald" now.
