Don Lemon Calls Out Hypocrisy of Republicans Who Supported ‘Racist’ Trump and Capitol Insurrectionists for ‘Empty Tweets Quoting Dr. King’
CNN host Don Lemon called out the hypocrisy on the part of Republicans praising and quoting Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in glowing tweets on his holiday, when they have also stood by as Donald Trump pushed racist lies like the Birther conspiracy or helped incited a violent mob to storm the Capitol.
In a long monologue during his Monday night show in the MLK holiday, Lemon began by playing disturbing footage of the pro-Trump insurrectionists invading Congress and saying the events on January 6th were “threatening our democracy.”
“On the day we remember the life and work of Martin Luther King,” Lemon noted, “even as the current president, until Wednesday at noon anyway, deliberately tried to divide us. That as more and more of the Republicans who supported this president, who stood by him through everybody racist attack, even as he tried to disenfranchise millions of Americans, many of them voters of color. Those Republicans like [Vice President] Mike Pence, who are putting out empty tweets quoting Dr. King’s words, can you believe it?”
Lemon then reviewed tweets from Pence, Sen. Mitch McConnell (KY), Sen. Lindsey Graham (SC), Sen. Ted Cruz (TX), and First Daughter Ivanka Trump as well as the First Lady and other administration officials.
Today we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., a giant of the Civil Rights Movement who called on our Nation to live up to the highest ideals of our founding. We pay tribute to the incredible life & accomplishments of Dr. King & his memory will inspire us for generations to come. pic.twitter.com/2jXe2Eshnv
— Mike Pence (@Mike_Pence) January 18, 2021
Today we honor one of our nation’s
great heroes. Dr. King called on America to truly fulfill our founding principles and provide justice and opportunity for all. His work and his example have brought us a long way and they inspire us to keep working. pic.twitter.com/nOKGJS1Jlb— Leader McConnell (@senatemajldr) January 18, 2021
In these troubled times we need to pursue Dr. King’s dream for America with passion and vigor. The words of his “I Have a Dream” address mean as much today as when they were delivered. Dr. King is a true American inspiration.
— Lindsey Graham (@LindseyGrahamSC) January 18, 2021
Now more than ever, we are reminded of the power of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s words, calling on all of us to have ‘the courage to face the uncertainties of the future,’ ‘as we continue our forward stride toward the city of freedom.’
— Senator Ted Cruz (@SenTedCruz) January 18, 2021
Today, we honor the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
“I have the audacity to believe that peoples everywhere can have three meals a day for their bodies, education and culture for their minds, and dignity, equality and freedom for their spirits.” -MLK, Jr. #MLKDay pic.twitter.com/BiKpvRhCop
— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 18, 2021
“One Republican after another, apparently hoping that you’ll forget their support for a president who used race to pit Americans against each other,” Lemon exhorted. “Since you seem to want to understand Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., let me give you another quote from him. Maybe you’ll learn something. In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail, he wrote in frustration about the white people who just didn’t get it. The people who stood in the way of progress and I quote here: ‘Shallow understanding from people of goodwill is more frustrating than absolute misunderstanding from people of ill will. Luke warm acceptance is much more bewildering than outright rejection.'”
“You might want to read it. You might want to stop and pay special attention to this part,” Lemon added. “The question is ‘Not whether we will be extremists, but what kind of extremists will we be. Will we be extremists for hate or for love, for the preservation of justice or the extension of justice?’ We know what kind of extremist Dr. King was. And what kind of extremist Donald Trump is. Donald Trump created an environment where white supremacists and conspiracy theorists overran the Capitol of the United States of America. He used race to divide us from the very beginning.”
Watch the video above, via CNN.
