WATCH: Don Lemon and John Kasich Get Into a Full-On Shouting Match Over Trump’s Oval Office Speech

 

CNN’s Don Lemon and former Ohio Republican Gov. John Kasich threw down Wednesday night in a heated battle over President Donald Trump’s address to the nation.

In an absolute barnstormer of a debate on CNN Tonight, the two went at it over the president’s primetime speech — with Lemon blasting Kasich for believing that Trump’s remarks were adequate

“I thought he did fine,” Kasich — who has not been shy to criticize Trump in the past — said Wednesday night. “What I saw tonight is what I anticipated before he delivered the address. Mr. President, you’ve got to be serious. You’ve got to warn the country. We have to move forward. And just stick to the script and read what’s on there. And that’s exactly what he did.”

Lemon, conversely, did not believe that Trump should get points for sticking to prepared remarks, given that those prepared remarks were inaccurate. (Notably, shortly after the speech, Trump walked back one remark in which his newly-announced travel ban to Europe would impact trade and cargo.)

“I don’t know if he stuck to the script or not,” Lemon said. “But whatever script he read was wrong, because they’ve had to clarify it several times. And I’ve just got to say, if the president came out to calm people’s fears, he didn’t do a good job of it because they’ve had to come back and clarify it several times! And this has been going on long enough for them to get it straight! We need straight, accurate information from this president and this administration. And we’re not getting it!

“And I don’t understand why you are tiptoeing around it! He came out. Gave an address. That happens very rarely. And he doesn’t get it right!?”

Kasich demurred.

“I don’t want to get into that,” he said.

“Why not!?” Lemon said. “That’s why you’re here! To talk about the president’s address!”

“Can I finish now!?” Kasich shot back. “Let me talk!”

“No you can’t, John!” Lemon said. He added, “I don’t want you to go on and deflect and talk about something else because we are here to talk about the president’s address. And you said that someone else wrote it. He’s the president! Even if someone else wrote it, it should be right!”

“Don, he put this thing out because there was some confusion out there, okay!?” Kasich said, referring to the president’s walk back on Twitter.

“Now there’s more confusion, John!” Lemon replied.

The argument continued for several minutes from there. You can watch it all above, via CNN.

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Joe DePaolo is a Senior Editor at Mediaite. Email him here: joed@mediaite.com Follow him on Twitter: @joe_depaolo