A fiery debate between former CNN anchor Don Lemon and Republican presidential candidate hopeful, Vivek Ramaswamy, has resurfaced on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In April this year, Ramaswamy appeared on Lemon’s former show, CNN This Morning, where they debated Black history and the experience of Black people today in the U.S.
A video posted to X, formerly known as Twitter, showed the moment the debate became heated with the caption, “Here’s a throwback video when Don Lemon got Vivek Ramaswamy ALL THE WAY TOGETHER.” The tweet had 258,000 views at the time of publishing.
Lemon took the politician to task over his views, in particular saying the NRA (National Rifle Association) played a “big role” in securing freedom for Black people.
“Black people secured their freedoms after the Civil War; it is a historical fact, Don, just study it,” Ramaswamy told Lemon, at which point the anchor interrupted him to say, “it’s not [fact].”
Ramaswamy argued that the economic policies put in place to help Black people had been “disastrous” for that community.
“You are discounting a whole host of things that happened after the Civil War when it comes to African Americans, including the whole reason that the civil rights movement happened is because Black people did not secure their freedoms after the Civil War,” Lemon said.
Lemon referenced a comment Ramaswamy had made at the NRA Leadership Forum held days before their interview and said that the Civil War “was not fought for Black people to have guns.”
The anchor also took Ramaswamy to task over trying to explain what the Black experience was like, especially considering Lemon himself is Black.
“When you are in Black skin and you live in this county then you can disagree with me,” a frustrated Lemon told him, after telling producers in his earpiece to stop speaking to him so he could concentrate on what Ramaswamy was saying.
“We have to be able to talk about these issues and be open regardless of the color of our skin…” Ramaswamy told Lemon before saying that Black Americans were more equal today than compared to 1865—the end of the Civil War—and 1964 when President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law.
Lemon said Ramaswamy was “infuriating” and his “telling of history is wrong.” He described the Republican presidential hopeful’s claims as “insulting.”
Shortly after this debate, CNN fired Lemon, leaving the journalist “stunned.”
While no reason was given for the firing, the anchor had found himself at the center of a number of controversies, including allegations of sexism and misogyny.
A Variety report in early April described a number of allegations of sexist behavior by Lemon towards several female colleagues, with some reportedly going as far back as 2008.
Lemon has denied the allegations, saying they were just “anonymous gossip.”
In February, he faced public scrutiny when he suggested Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley “isn’t in her prime, sorry” because she was in her 50s. Lemon later apologized for the remarks, calling them “inartful and irrelevant.”
Some people have speculated whether it was the debate between Lemon and Ramaswamy that got him fired from CNN.
“It really was one of the more bizarre things I’ve seen on television,” Republican Representative Matt Gaetz said during an April episode of his podcast Firebrand. “So, I don’t know if this clip contributed to Don Lemon’s firing, but I sure hope it did.”
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW:
Here’s a throwback video when Don Lemon got Vivek Ramaswamy ALL THE WAY TOGETHER. pic.twitter.com/acJI9wteiS
— The Chanteezy Is Real ♉️ (@iamchanteezy) August 28, 2023
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Republicans gave blacks freedom and economic help after the Civil War started by Democrats in an attempt to keep blacks as slaves. After that war lost by Democrats, the Democrats still blocked blacks from being fully free… and to this day, Democrats still won’t fully let loose of their former black slaves and still warp their minds into murdering each other! Democrats’ beloved junkies CRIME WAVE is now at 75 MURDERS DAILY plus MILLIONS of OTHER DAILY CRIMES !!!
As an African American, I can tell you Buzz, that you sound like a bee is buzzing in your ear! Has your brain been infected? Today’s Republicans are outrageously racist control freak FACISTS who are WHITE NATIONALISTS AND cheering for the WHITE SUPREMACISTS marching with Tiki torches. You are trying to deceive these readers with this outlandish BS from the past. We all know that the Dixie Crats (the old ante-bellum Democrats) did that, but NOW/TODAY/2023, THOSE DIXIE CRATS are full blown REPUBLICONS who are the biggest CRMINALS AND purveyors of erasing Black History and whining about how detrimental it is for their children to learn about the history of slavery and the historical injustices still being being done to Black people right now!! It is Facist RepubliCONS who are holding BLACK ppl hostage by refusing to pass the John Lewis Voting Act and gerrymandering every district to prevent Black ppl from having their votes counted; it is Facist RepubliCONS who are banning books about Black history and Black authors; it is facist RepubliCONS who don’t want ANYONE to have a minimum wage. (NAME ONE PIECE OF LEGISLATION THAT REPUBLICONS HAVE EVER PASSED that permanently put $$$ into the pockets of poor and middle class ppl. Post slavery Dems-thank you FDR/LBJ-have passed Social Security, Medicare and ALL THE SOCIAL SAFETY Net programs that poor and middle class rely on). Repubs are “ALL IN LINE” for the RICH/Trump and Corporation Greedy folks! IT is RepubliCONS who are calling for a civil war and cheering on white Nationalist/Supremacists who are marching thru our streets. It is RepubliCONS who are getting indicted across the country because they thought they could get away with THEIR continuing CRIME SPREE. It is your beloved Facist RepubliCONS who are on A CRIME WAVE and doing it daily. Get that bee out of your ear Buzz and go buy some real honey! Republicans ARE NOT the party of Law and Order…they are the party of getting away with everything they can and are now being held accountable.. LOCK THEM UP!
Obviously, you don’t want to post my previous comment. Here it is again: Everyone knows that the old Dixie Crats are todays RepubliCONs …so you’re trying to convince folks of the lies you believe. RepubliCONS have NO moral compass on this topic at all, which is so appropriate because of previous pronouncements that you are the be Law and Order party. LOL! You are the Facist (control freak) RepubliCONS who (TODAY) use gerrymandering to prevent Black ppl’s votes from counting; it is Facist RepubliCONS who are banning books, CRT and removing classes about Black history and what happened during slavery; it is FACISCT REPUBLICONS who refused to pass the John Lewis Voting Act. It is RepublICONS who are hinting at another Civil War (bring it!) and approving of Hitler-loving White Supremacists marching in our streets; it is Facist RepubliCONs who don’t give a crap about anyone except the Rich/Trump and Corporations and their greediness. (Name just one piece of legislation ever passed by RepubliCONS that permanently puts money into the hands of the poor and middle class…Democrats legislated and provided Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, Section 8 etc.–thank you FDR and LBJ both democratic POTUS). All Repubs have ever done was pass tax cuts for the RICH and then promise that it will all “trickle down” slogan to the -“let ’em eat cake” reality for the rest of us. Repubs are the biggest criminals in the country–1 big old Crime Family-, just look at the current list of indicted/sentenced Republicans who are getting ready to be locked up across the country (in addition of those connected to Trump and his Insurrection…those those are bad enough). There’s a whole list of you, focus on the CRIME waves you RepubliCONS are perpetuating/doing daily. Sounds like that “buzzing” could be a reason for such a lame comment…just saying, as a Black person myself, I can speak on this with certainty!
I see you guys are Republican fakes……no worries…I’m out and will pass the word on. Nice, catchy name of your org. though….we’re not like Repubs, we can READ and comprehend what’s going on!!!