Despite saying President Trump “should be given the bully pulpit, he owns it,” Lemon was concerned about letting America’s elected leader speak to the people. “But you’re giving him the opportunity to speak to the United States unfettered—to speak to the people of the United State and this President has a problem with the truth,” he declared to Prime Time host Chris Cuomo as they were transitioning shows.
Shockingly, Cuomo was the voice of reason. “You let him speak, and then you hold him to account,” he began. “I think that’s the right move. I know a lot of people are upset about it. I hear you. I read my Twitter feed. I get it. But I think it’s also the right thing to do. And it’s the right thing to do to check him and that’s what we’ll do.”
But Lemon still had his doubts. His hang up? The people would believe what their President said:
Listen, I’m not saying that we shouldn’t do it, but do you think it should be — I don’t know — a delay of some sort, and then you can — because people believe it. The President will say what he has to say. People will believe it whether the facts are true or not. I guess that’s the chance you take with any president….But this one is different. And then by the time the rebuttals come on, we’ve already promoted propaganda possibly, unless he gets up there and tells the truth.
“Now that the television networks have decided to air the President’s address, which if his past statements are any indication will be full of malice and misinformation, Democrats must immediately be given equal airtime,” Senate Democratic Leader Charles Schumer (N.Y.) and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) said in a joint statement on Monday night.”