CNN’s Don Lemon is calling on news outlets to avoid one thing while covering the coronavirus.
Lemon and Chris Cuomo have differences over whether networks should air President Donald Trump’s coronavirus task force briefings live.
“I’m not actually sure, if you want to be honest, that we should carry that live,” Lemon said, adding, “I think we should run snippets, I think we should do it afterwards and get the pertinent points to the American people because he’s never ever going to tell you the truth.”
Watch his comments below:
Lemon went on to explain how Trump will not answer questions because, as the CNN host says, the president wants to make his base think “the media is being mean to him.”
“It is all a plot, it is all orchestrated,” Lemon said, continuing, “If you can’t see it, I don’t know what you’re looking at.”
Lemon then equated the coronavirus task force briefings to Trump’s rallies.
Cuomo had something different to say.
“I’m saying play all of it. I want to hear everything he has to say,” Cuomo said, adding, “I want it all to be out there and I want him to be held to account.”
Lemon proceeded to imitate Trump answering questions. He suggested running coverage of the briefing after it has already happened and put it in context.
“I don’t like wasting people’s time and I don’t like people being bamboozled,” Lemon later added.
Cuomo and Lemon touched on Trump’s initial response to the coronavirus crisis.
The conversation pivoted to the 2020 presidential election and what it might look like for Trump.
“At the end of the day, this will be the measure of whether or not he gets reelected,” Cuomo said, adding, “Whether the American people think that on balance he did what he needed to do to get them through this.”
The CNN political commentators’ comments come shortly after Trump announced he will be extending social distancing guidelines to April 30 at Sunday’s coronavirus task force briefing, as IJR previously reported.
