‘To Trump’s Credit’: CNN’s Don Lemon, Alyssa Farah Griffin Pounce on Chance to Bash DeSantis With Trump Praise

When Donald Trump attacks his top GOP rival Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) it is big news for the press, who often end up both repeating and even lauding the ex-president’s takes, and CNN This Morning was no exception on Friday.

The media is usually more than critical of Trump, but when it comes to his war on the number one threat to his clinching the 2024 Republican nomination, reporters and outlets have so far been happy to help, airing his Truth posts and ads extensively and even outright giving him praise, kudos, and credit.

The trio of Don Lemon, Poppy Harlow, and Alyssa Farah Griffin were discussing DeSantis Friday and complained, as the press has been doing routinely, that the Florida governor doesn’t give them interviews.

In so doing, they were unable to resist praising Trump in comparison to DeSantis, for whatever reason.

Farah Griffin was offering the CNN analysis that it’s “too soon” to write the overwhelmingly reelected governor and leading — while still not even declared — Trump challenger’s “political obituary,” when she circled back to the refrain about DeSantis not sitting down with the hostile press.

That’s when she said, “to Trump’s credit,” the ex-president would “go on CNN and he’d argue.”

“At least he had the conversation,” she said. “DeSantis isn’t doing that and it makes people wonder if he’s capable.”

Agreeing, Lemon gave an affable recounting of Trump’s willingness to do interviews on CNN:

ALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: I said from the outset, you know, let’s see him tested on a national stage. For someone like a Ron DeSantis, if you take a position that is, you know, perhaps controversial, like the so-called don’t say gay bill, then he needs to come and sit down with mainstream media and explain, ‘this is why we think this is best for Florida.’ Or six-week abortion ban. You have to be able to defend it to unfriendly audiences.

And I can’t think of a single time I’ve seen him do that yet. To Trump’s credit, in 2016, he’d go on Morning Joe, he’d go on CNN and he’d argue, and it wasn’t always good, it wasn’t always healthy, or ripe for debate. But yeah he at least had the conversation. DeSantis isn’t doing that, and it makes people wonder if he’s capable.

DON LEMON: Every single interview. I mean, we would call and say, you know, can you, Mr. Trump, will you come on? ‘Sure, I’ll come on. Do I have to come on the set? We’ll call.’ I think I did eight interviews. It’s interesting.

Watch the clip above, via CNN.