Don Lemon’s arrest escalates Trump’s clashes with journalists

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During Donald Trump’s presidency, Don Lemon often challenged the president on CNN, particularly regarding his statements about immigrants and other issues.

On Friday, the former CNN anchor, now working as an independent journalist with his own YouTube show, appeared in federal court in Los Angeles. He was charged with conspiracy and violating the First Amendment rights of people protesting at the Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota on January 18th.

On Friday in Los Angeles, federal agents arrested Lemon, another journalist, and two people who took part in a protest against the government’s immigration policies in Minneapolis.

At the protest, Lemon stated he was a journalist. His lawyer followed up with a statement asserting his work is protected under the Constitution.

After being released Friday, Lemon told reporters he has dedicated his life to journalism and has no plans to retire. He emphasized the crucial role of a free press in uncovering the truth and holding leaders accountable, stating he will continue his work indefinitely.

It used to be hard to believe that a journalist in the United States would be in court, facing federal charges simply for reporting the news.

The arrest significantly worsened the already strained relationship between the Trump administration and the news media.

Earlier this month, the FBI unexpectedly searched the electronic devices belonging to Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson. This happened as part of an investigation into a contractor accused of leaking classified information. Actions like this are extremely unusual in the United States.

Last spring, the White House blocked reporters from the Associated Press from attending briefings. The AP responded by filing a lawsuit against White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt and two other officials, asking a court to restore their access.

Even the Committee to Protect Journalists, which advocates for reporters jailed by oppressive governments around the world, publicly commented on Lemon’s arrest.

According to Jodie Ginsberg, head of the Committee to Protect Journalists, how a country treats its journalists is a key sign of its democratic health. She stated that the recent arrests are part of a growing pattern of serious threats to the press in the U.S., and represent a violation of the public’s right to information.

At 59, Lemon is experiencing a significant shift in his career, largely prompted by his critical commentary on Trump and the controversial actions of his presidency. This path hasn’t been easy, and at times, he’s found himself becoming part of the very stories he’s reporting on.

According to veteran TV producer Jonathan Wald, who has collaborated with Lemon previously, Lemon has a knack for understanding current events and immediately focuses on what’s most important and engaging.

Don Lemon, originally from Louisiana, started his career in local television news. He worked at Fox in New York and then at NBC in Chicago, where he sometimes clashed with his bosses. According to Robert Feder, a veteran Chicago media reporter, Lemon was once suspended for refusing to report on a crime story he considered unimportant.

“A memorable headline from that era was ‘Lemon in Hot Water,’” Feder said.

Lemon’s appealing appearance and confident on-air style led to a job at CNN in 2006, though his work wasn’t always popular with viewers. In 2014, he began hosting the prime-time show “CNN Tonight” and became heavily involved in the network’s extensive coverage of the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. He even faced criticism for asking an aviation expert a somewhat outlandish question about whether the plane could have been pulled into a black hole.

Similar to many other TV journalists, Don Lemon became more outspoken after Donald Trump became president. He began adding more of his own opinions to his show, “CNN Tonight,” and directly called Trump racist following a comment the president made in the Oval Office about immigrants, referring to their countries of origin with a vulgar term.

Following the death of George Floyd at the hands of a police officer in Minneapolis in May 2020, Don Lemon became a central figure in the national conversation about race as the only Black prime time news anchor on cable television. His show saw a significant increase in viewership, reaching a record 2.4 million viewers for CNN at 10 p.m. that month.

Don Lemon became a target of President Trump’s attacks on social media after openly discussing race and criticizing the president. He revealed in a 2020 interview with The Times that he had received death threats from Trump supporters and had to adjust to living with that danger.

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The CNN anchor, who faced criticism for insensitive remarks about women, will be back on air Wednesday and will also participate in sensitivity training.

He explained that his actions have created many enemies, some of whom he encounters directly. Because of this, he feels he constantly needs to be careful and aware of his surroundings.

While Jim Lemon consistently pushed for his approach, CNN’s new leadership had different plans. After Warner Bros. Discovery acquired CNN in 2022, CEO David Zaslav stated the network had become too focused on liberal viewpoints and needed to include more conservative perspectives.

After the change in ownership, Lemon was shifted from his popular evening show to a new morning program, a timeslot where CNN has historically struggled to gain traction in its over forty years of broadcasting.

As a longtime viewer, I always felt Don Lemon’s show, “CNN Tonight,” really thrived when he was delivering his prepared remarks and having conversations with guests who shared his perspectives. Honestly, live, spontaneous reactions to breaking news – the kind you have to do on morning TV – just weren’t his thing. He was much more comfortable and effective when he had time to gather his thoughts.

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Originally from Louisiana, this CNN anchor began working with the network in 2006 and is currently the only Black anchor hosting a prime-time cable news show. He’s passionate about contributing to the national conversation surrounding race relations.

Don Lemon didn’t get along well with his CNN co-anchors, Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins. The issues escalated in February 2023 when he made an inappropriate comment about Nikki Haley, who was running for president as a Republican.

Lemon challenged Haley’s proposal that politicians over 75 should be tested to ensure they are mentally fit for office.

Lemon expressed discomfort with the focus on age, stating it wasn’t a productive line of discussion. He referenced comments about politicians not being at their peak and specifically said Nikki Haley wasn’t in her prime, defining a woman’s prime as typically being in her 20s, 30s, or perhaps 40s.

Harlow jumped in, pressing Lemon to explain what he meant by “Prime” after he mentioned it. Lemon responded by telling his female colleagues to simply look it up online. This was just one example of several comments he made on the show that were considered sexist.

Lemon was unexpectedly taken off the air and made to apologize to his coworkers, after some of them had asked for him to be fired. He lost his job in April 2023, the same day Fox News let go of Tucker Carlson.

After receiving his payout from CNN, Lemon broke ground as one of the first mainstream TV journalists to strike out on his own, creating and distributing a program directly through social media.

While others might have been scared or needed time to plan their next move, Wald felt he had no option but to keep working relentlessly.

I have to say, the whole situation with Lemon and X is pretty strange. He initially joined the platform back in 2024 – X was really trying to get into longer-form video content at the time, and Lemon’s program seemed like a good fit. But then, things took a turn. The partnership ended almost immediately after Elon Musk himself sat down for an interview with Lemon. It definitely feels like there’s more to the story than meets the eye.

Musk agreed to a public conversation with no limits, but he didn’t like where the questions were going. He compared the interviewer’s style to CNN, saying it wouldn’t be successful, pointing to CNN’s declining viewership as proof.

Lemon continued with his show, posting it daily on YouTube – where he’s gained over 1.3 million subscribers – and other platforms. He runs a small team to help with creating the show and interacting with viewers. Beyond the money earned from YouTube ads, the show also gets funding from its own sponsors.

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Originally from Louisiana, this CNN anchor started with the network in 2006 and is the only Black prime-time cable news anchor. He’s passionate about contributing to the national conversation about race and its impact on the country.

Traditional news organizations have become more careful about how they cover Trump, largely because he’s threatened to challenge their broadcasting licenses if he doesn’t like their reporting. However, independent journalists like Lemon and his former CNN coworker Jim Acosta have continued to offer strong and critical commentary on his administration.

People who know Lemon say he’s incredibly determined. Any obstacle or doubt just fuels his drive to succeed. As one friend put it, “If you try to discourage him, it only makes him want it more.”

Wald said independent conservative journalists should be wary of Lemon’s arrest.

Wald believes conservative online personalities – bloggers, influencers, and YouTubers – should be concerned about potential repercussions if the current administration changes. He warns them to think carefully about what they advocate for, as things could change quickly.

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2026-01-31 03:32