CNN’s Chris Cuomo and Don Lemon finally spoke out against the rioting that continues in some U.S. cities but not for the reasons many Americans condemn the violence.
Lemon accidentally said the quiet part out loud when he lamented how ongoing leftist riots need to stop because they are hurting the Democrats in the polls.
Criticizing riots not for damage to human lives and property, but for the toll they are taking on the Democratic Party, the CNN host called on Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden to address the unrest, warning that the issue is a “blind spot” for the party.
“You have COVID and Kenosha, Don, and what’s happening in Wisconsin, it’s a Rorschach test for where this country is, and I think it probably represents the biggest threat to the Democratic cause,” Cuomo said.
“You took the words right out of my mouth,” Lemon agreed.
“When you said it’s too little too late, I don’t know about that. I mean, we still have a lot of time left until election day. I do think that this —what you said was happening in Kenosha is a Rorschach test for the entire country. I think this is a blind spot for Democrats. I think Democrats are hoping this will go away, and it’s not going to go away,” Lemon added, referring specifically to the now-deadly riots in Kenosha.
“I think maybe Joe Biden may be afraid to do it. I’m not sure. Maybe he won’t, maybe he is. He’s got to address it,” Lemon continued, adding that Biden has to make it seem like President Trump is somehow responsible.
“He’s got to come out and talk about it. He’s got to do a speech like Barack Obama did about race. He’s got to come out and tell people that he’s going to deal with the issue of police reform in this country, and that what’s happening now is happening under Donald Trump’s watch,” he said.
“When he is the president, Kamala Harris is the vice president. Then they will take care of this problem,” he added before he spilled the beans. “But guess what? The rioting has to stop. Chris, as you know, and I know it’s showing up in the polling, it’s showing up in focus groups. It is the only thing right now that is sticking.”
Hundreds of rioters again defied a curfew in Kenosha on Tuesday as another night of violence erupted following the shooting of Jacob Blake on Sunday. Multiple fires, looting and vandalism unfolded in the Wisconsin city and turned deadly as a shooting incident killed two people and wounded a third.
Meghan McCain noted Lemon’s comments in a video posted on Twitter, saying his warning was “accurate.”
“Everything @donlemon said here is accurate. This is the one issue that could really turn the election against Biden and is showing up in the polling — all leaders have to come out forcefully and unequivocally against violence and looting,” the co-host of “The View” tweeted.
“Don Lemon says riots have to stop explicitly bc of their political impact–not bc of what they mean for having a functioning society, the criticality of the rule of law, and the impact on the lives of Americans. That is, he cares about it costing Dems the election, nothing more,” columnist Benjamin Weingarten tweeted.
Other social media users also noticed the moment on CNN where, during a live report from Kenosha, the word “violent” was quickly scrubbed from an on-screen graphic.
