In a recent encounter on the streets of New York City, former CNN anchor Don Lemon found himself in a tense exchange with TikToker and ex-professional soccer player, Will John.
The conversation took an unexpected turn when Lemon's probing questions about Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk's alleged sway over Donald Trump were met with resistance.
According to the Daily Mail, Lemon was attempting to explore the Democrats' assertions that Musk was operating as a de facto president. "Who is the real president-elect, do you think?" Lemon asked, to which John responded, "Well, Donald Trump won, I believe."
The atmosphere became strained when Lemon mentioned that "Democratic lawmakers in Washington are calling Elon Musk 'President Musk' now, and they're saying Donald Trump is the vice president or the head of communication for President Musk." John quickly countered, "What, what, what, what - wait a second, no. No one said that."
Lemon, taken aback, asked, "Really? Have you not watched and paid attention to the news?" John retorted, "Absolutely not. I'm paying attention to what I'm doing during my day, so I can try and get a better life and get ahead."
The former CNN anchor then challenged John to look up 'President Musk' on his phone and read out the names of the media outlets covering the topic. John listed Axios, Business Insider, ABC News, the New York Times, and the Atlantic, prompting Lemon to react as if he had cornered his interviewee. However, John's response was unexpected. "I don't trust any of these. I don't trust any of them," he declared.
"We're the common man. We don't trust any of these. No one trusts the government. No one trusts the common news. We don't trust any of that anymore. Independent news, we are the ones that own the news now. People trust me. They don't trust MSNBC because I care, and I'm actually one of them," John added. Lemon could only respond, "I can't disagree with you."
The incident quickly ignited a firestorm on social media, with users criticizing the former CNN host. Comments ranged from "Don Lemon can't go a day without embarrassing himself," to "Don Lemon trying to desperately stir the pot."
This heated dialogue occurred just as Trump himself clarified who was truly in control, dismissing Democrats' claims about Musk's influence during his first significant post-election speech. "No, he's not going to be president, that I can tell you," Trump stated at Turning Point USA's AmericaFest in Phoenix. He added humorously, "And I'm safe. You know why? He can't be. He wasn't born in this country." This statement serves as a reminder that despite the media's attempts to stir controversy, the reality of political power remains unchanged.
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