A CNN anchor created yet another buzz on social media after he needled President Donald Trump during a live segment by comparing him to Barack Obama.
During Sunday’s airing of “CNN Tonight,” Don Lemon accused Trump of letting Obama, Trump’s two-term predecessor in the Oval Office, get under his skin. He followed with a series of questions comparing the two presidents, each presenting Trump as the weakest link.
“What is it about Obama that gets under your skin?” Lemon asked as if addressing Trump directly on the nightly segment. “Is it because he’s smarter than you? Better educated? Made it on his own? Didn’t need daddy’s help? Wife is more accomplished? Better looking? I don’t know, what is it? What is it about him? That he’s a black man that’s accomplished being president? That he punked you on the whole birth certificate thing? What is it about him? Just wondering,” he continued in a monotone.
Some on social media praised Lemon for the comments.
“I could watch this 1,000 times,” one Twitter user said. “Good for Don Lemon. Everything he said about President Barack Obama was true and Trump can’t stand it.”
Others were just present for the shade.
“Don Lemon just gave a master’s class in the shadiest truth to power read I have ever seen ⚰️⚰️ Trump now has 24 to respond,” another Twitter user said.
Trump’s supporters felt the anchor was disrespectful.
“Don Lemon is a small pathetic little man,” Brigitte Gabriel, far-right author and founder of the anti-Muslim organization ACT! for America tweeted. “How dare he disrespect our BEAUTIFUL First Lady while taking cheap shots at President Trump. Obama is the most corrupt president in U.S. history! Save the dramatics Don, we’re Making America Great Again!”
Lemon’s Sunday comments were just the latest salvo in the long-running exchange of fire between the CNN anchor and 45th president. Trump often refers to Lemon as “the dumbest man on television,” and Lemon has called Trump a racist, fraud, and con man, among other things.
Fox News speculates Lemon’s comments had been in response to Trump’s retweet of a blog post early on Sunday that claimed Obama was possibly “the one running the Russian hoax.”