Culture

Don Lemon got 'rid of' Trump-supporting friends: 'They have to hit rock bottom like an addict'



CNN host Don Lemon said Thursday he “had to get rid of” a lot of President Trump-supporting friends during the coronavirus pandemic, because he thinks they are “too far gone” in their delusions and “have to hit rock bottom like an addict” in order to accept reality.

“You know what the sad thing is?” Mr. Lemon asked fellow prime-time colleague Chris Cuomo during his nightly handoff. “And I’ll be honest with you, I have many people who I love in my life. Yes, I come from a red state. I’ve lived in several red states. There are a lot of friends that I had to get rid of because they are so nonsensical when it comes to this issue.

“Every single talking point that they hear on state TV and that they hear from this president, they repeat it, and they are blinded by it,” he continued.

“I had to get rid of them, because they are too far gone,” Mr. Lemon said. “I try and I try and I try. They’ll say something really stupid and then I’ll show them the science and I’ll give them the information, and they still repeat those talking points.”

“I had to get rid of a lot of people in my life because sometimes you just have to let them go,” he added. “I think that they have to hit rock bottom like an addict. Right? And they have to want to get help, they have to want to know the truth, they have to want to live in reality, they have to want to be responsible, not only for other people’s lives, but for their lives.

“So, you know what? I’ve had, it’s so sad, and I don’t know if after this I will ever be able to go back and be friends with those people. Because at a certain point, you just say they are too far gone and I’ve got to let them go and if they’re willing to come back and if they’re willing to live in reality, then I welcome them with open arms. But I can’t do it — I can’t do it anymore.”

Mr. Cuomo disagreed slightly, saying he doesn’t “subtract” people from his life over differences in opinion.

“People come in whatever they are. I never let them go,” Mr. Cuomo said. “I believe in a lot of the people that follow this president because they are so desperate in their own frustration, and they are right to be. They just picked the wrong change agent. And look, he can change, everybody can change, maybe even me. But on this pandemic, he is lying to them and it’s going to make them sick, and I know people who have gotten sick because they listen to him.”

Mr. Lemon warned not to let desperation drive people’s decision-making.

“Be careful of the decisions you make in desperation,” he said. “You said they are desperate. But careful of the decisions you make in desperation. Remember, when you are desperate, you don’t necessarily have a clear head and you don’t think straight. That’s it.”

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