Sour lemons?
Well, Don Lemon, a demoted CNN host, should know better by this point than to talk “prime time.”
Following reorganization at the ratings-challenged cable news network last year, Lemon, a one-time evening host relegated to mornings ended up insulting women in general. As he ticked off co-host Poppy Harlow when he tried to take a shot at Nikki Haley.
This is one of the most sexist things a “news host” has said in recent memory, but nothing will happen to Don Lemon, of course https://t.co/sog0BrrcpC
— Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) February 16, 2023
Haley, 51, said that Americans must turn to a new generation of leaders and reject those past their “prime,” in announcing Tuesday that she is running for president in 2024.
During the broadcast, Lemon said, “This whole talk about age makes me uncomfortable. I think it’s the wrong road to go down. She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime,”
“Sorry, when a woman is in their prime [is] in [their] 20s and 30s and maybe 40s…” he said.
To which Harlow quickly interjected, “What are you talking — Wait….”
When asked to clarify what he meant by prime, the CNN host replied, “That’s not according to me. It depends. It’s just like, prime. If you look it up. If you Google when is a woman in her prime, it’ll say 20s, 30s, 40s…” Lemon scrambled.
Considering that Joe Biden is 80 and recently announced presidential candidate Donald Trump is 76, Lemon, who is 56, was talking about the idea of requiring aged politicians to pass competency exams. Haley, a former South Carolina governor and United Nations representative ambassador, who made her announcement official a day later in Charleston, South Carolina, was obviously referring to their ages.
“America is not past our prime. It’s just that our politicians are past theirs,” Haley said.
Meanwhile, Lemon struggled to get himself out of a hole for the majority of the remaining segment. “I’m not saying I agree with that. So I think she has to be careful about saying that, you know, politicians are in their prime,” he insisted.
“Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it. Everybody at home, when is a woman in her prime? It says 20s, 30s and 40s. I’m just saying Nikki Haley should be careful about saying that politicians are not in their prime, and they need to be in their prime when they serve. She would not be in her prime according to Google or whatever it is,” he continued.
Before becoming the youngest governor in the nation at the age of 38, Haley served three terms in the South Carolina House of Representatives. There are no higher age restrictions specified in the Constitution; however, it stipulates that all presidential candidates must be at least 35 years old.
Saying individual capacity was based on the individual, Lemon attempted to backtrack in the same segment, “… My mom is 80 years old. I just gave her a surprise birthday party…Is she as physically strong as she once was? No. But mentally, she is sharp. Could she run the country? If she wanted to, I guess she could. But I guess it depends on the individual.”
Sources: Dailywire, Mediate, WashingtonExaminer