Don Lemon reacts to Biden victory: ‘I didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed’

The CNN host delivered a rebuke on what has been a long almost four years under Trump's reign

Nov 8, 2020

The news of Joe Biden being elected the next president of the United States on Saturday has prompted many to react in emotional ways.

This includes CNN‘s Don Lemon, who commented on the decision during a newscast that evening.

Starting with a deep sigh, Lemon began by saying: “I almost can’t talk right now, because of the emotion.”

Lemon, appearing on-screen with CNN anchor Chris Cuomo, told his colleague that he went to sleep in his hotel in New York City Saturday morning before Pennsylvania had been projected to go for Biden, the Democratic nominee. He explained he was awoken from 40 floors up by a loud throng of people cheering outside.

He spoke of how Donald Trump‘s presidency has affected the country and what a Biden victory means going forward.

“I turned the television on and there were my colleagues announcing that Joe Biden had become the president-elect of the United States, and not to forget Kamala Harris the first Black woman (vice presidential-elect),” Lemon said. “I didn’t expect to be so overwhelmed by that. I didn’t realize the PTSD that many marginalized people — that African-Americans, women, Latinos, people of color, all kinds of white people — are feeling around this country, because we have had whiplash from someone who only cares about himself and not uniting people.”

Each weeknight, Chris Cuomo Nightly transitions into CNN Tonight with Don Lemon with the titular hosts and close friends speaking with each other before Cuomo hands over the air to Lemon. As Cuomo tossed it to Lemon by asking him how he was feeling, Lemon let forth six straight minutes of candid words and emotions.

Lemon talked about what he has had to endure during Trump’s tenure in the White House. He pulled no punches when discussing Trump on his nightly show, often prompting Trump to frequently refer to Lemon and CNN as “fake news.”

Lemon talked about being subjected to racist and homophobic slurs from Trump supporters over the past four years.

Lemon revealed that he’s had to deal with “people calling me n***er and f**” and “fake news.”

“Never before that I’ve been in this business, since 1991, have I ever had to deal with the crap that I’ve had to deal with over the last four years,” Lemon said.

Have you subscribed to theGrio’s podcast “Dear Culture”? Download our newest episodes now!

TheGrio is now on Apple TV, Amazon Fire, and Roku. Download theGrio today!