Vivek Ramaswamy says he was NOT offended by Don Lemon’s aggressive questioning on CNN

Presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy has insisted he was not offended by Don Lemon’s aggressive questioning during a CNN interview – which was reportedly the final straw for executives before the longtime anchor was fired Monday. 

The 2024 hopeful told The Megyn Kelly Show he believed the pair’s recent fiery exchange played a role in the network’s decision to get rid of Lemon and that he thought it would turn out to be a ‘net positive’ for CNN in the long run.  

Ramaswamy, 37, added that Lemon’s ousting after 17 years was an opportunity for CNN to replace him with ‘a more thoughtful journalist’.

‘It all comes down to what the mission of your organization shows,’ he said. ‘If CNN’s mission is to advance a woke, progressive orthodoxy, Don Lemon is a perfectly fine host to have on-air to cut off guests.’ 

The tech entrepreneur-turned-political longshot recalled the interaction after reports indicated his argument with Lemon motivated CNN executives to fire the anchor. 

The pair’s hostile back-and-forth saw the two argue over slavery, the Civil War, and the Second Amendment. 

‘You’re making people think that the Civil War was fought for black people to get guns,’ Lemon said, to which Ramaswamy responded: ‘with due respect, I find your explanation reductive and actually insulting.’

But he has since said he was not offended by the exchange, explaining in his follow up conversation with Kelly: ‘This is fundamental stuff.

‘I was exposing that history, but that made Don lemons head explode because to him, Second Amendment bad, Civil Rights good.

‘And I’m committing some sort of cardinal sin by mixing the two together, when it’s just a fact of history that actually one was fundamental to securing the other.’ 

Megyn Kelly spoke also asked Ramaswamy if he may have ‘had a role in CNN’s ultimate decision to get rid of (Lemon)?’ 

‘I think I did – and I think that that’s a net positive,’ he responded, pointing to new CNN chief Chris Licht as one of the reasons the liberal outlet may have turned a corner. 

Soon after Licht joined CNN in May 2022, he publicly attempted to change the network’s left-leaning reputation and steer it towards neutral, objective coverage. 

‘If (Licht) means when he says, and it sounds like he does, and they want to be moved towards being a more open platform for diverse views, then I don’t think that type of host (Lemon) actually makes sense in that organization,’ he continued. 

‘I didn’t take particular offense to that exchange. I actually found it really useful. I’m glad we did it. 

‘It was a little bit awkward to be on set in the Larry David sense of “awkward” but that’s okay. I can try to handle that. That’s not a problem for me. 

‘I think it’s actually really important that we surface some of these dogmas and unspoken expectations that have otherwise been simmering beneath the surface of American discourse. I’m all in favor of actually speaking those hard truths. Let those boil over.’ 

But Ramaswamy slammed Lemon’s attitude towards impartiality following the contentious segment, suggesting he made the host’s ‘head explode’ when he presented ‘two conflicting ideas’. 

Don Lemon was fired by CNN on Monday. His combative interview on April 19 with Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was said to be a factor in his firing

Don Lemon tweeted out his outrage after being fired from CNN on Monday afternoon

Lemon has faced a series of controversies related to his behavior, including one instance where he allegedly berated his co-host Kaitlan Collins off camera after accusing her of interrupting him. 

In another instance, Lemon sparked outrage after dubbing presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 52, ‘past her prime’, arguing that women are only in their prime ‘in their 20s and 30s, maybe 40s’. 

The veteran anchor, who was believed to be earning roughly $4 million a year at the network, has since sparked fears he would sue CNN after blasting his sacking on social media, where he pointed to ‘larger issues at play’.  

Recalling his clash with the embattled former anchor, Ramaswamy said CNN co-host Poppy Harlow was ‘sidelined’ by Lemon’s aggressive approach. 

‘I had a nice exchange with Poppy (after the segment)’ he continued. ‘I felt bad for her, to be honest, because I think she had been sidelined in the conversation. She was trying her best. So we have conversation later on. 

‘I walked off, I went out of my way to really be thankful to the producers and those who were on set as well. I think it was awkward for everyone there, so I tried to do my part to bring a light-hearted tone.’ 

CNN CEO Chris Licht confirmed the firing of Don Lemon on Monday, which comes as the new boss attempts to steer CNN towards a new course

Don Lemon, 57, was fired by CNN on Monday after 17 years with the network

Speaking later in her show, Kelly also commented on the widely expected announcement that President Biden would seek re-election in 2024.

Kelly, who left Fox News in 2017, slated Biden for ‘a record low for press conferences and interactions with reporters, one on one interviews.’

‘He can’t talk to anybody,’ she continued. ‘I literally think he might be at the point where he cannot. It’s not “will not” any longer. He cannot and we’re really approaching a crisis point here.’ 

The best of the worst of Don Lemon 

Was Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 swallowed by a black hole? – During coverage of the missing Malaysian Airlines Flight 370 in 2014, Don Lemon asked a panel of experts whether it was possible the Boeing jet might have been swallowed up by a black hole:

‘People are saying to me, why aren’t you talking about the possibility – and I’m just putting it out there – that something odd happened to this plane, something beyond our understanding?’ he asked.  

‘What if it was something fully that we don’t really understand? A lot of people have been asking about that, about black holes and on, and on, and on, and all of these conspiracy theories,’ he continued, adding comparisons to the Bermuda Triangle and the television show Lost.   

US Department of Transportation inspector general Mary Schiavo said the theories were unlikely:

‘Well, it is. A small black hole would suck in our entire universe so we know it’s not that. The Bermuda Triangle is often weather. And Lost is a TV show,’ she said.

Don Lemon espouses about whether a missing jetliner was sucked into a Black Hole

Why didn’t you just bite his penis? –  While interviewing Bill Cosby sexual assault accuser Joan Tarshis, Lemon asked her why she didn’t stop him from raping her by biting his penis:

‘You know, there are ways not to perform oral sex if you don’t want to do it,’ he said.

‘I was kind of stoned at the time, and quite honestly, I that didn’t even enter my mind. Now I wish it would have,’ Tashis said.

‘Right. Meaning the using of teeth, right?’ Lemon asked, ‘As a weapon.’

‘Ouch,’ Tashis said, ‘No, it didn’t cross my mind.’

Pull your pants up, black people – In 2013 while talking about Bill O’Reilly’s controversial comments that unmarried black women need to stop having children and inner city schools need to enforce discipline, Lemon argued the Fox News host’s plans to elevate black people wasn’t as bold as it should be.

‘In my estimation, he doesn’t go far enough,’ said Lemon. ‘Walking around with your a** and your underwear showing is not okay. In fact, it comes from prison. When they take away belts from prisoners so they can’t make a weapon. And then it evolved into which role each prisoner would have during male-on-male prison sex.’

Lemon went on to explain black people should stop using the N-word, and refrain from littering.