WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
  • Don Lemon said he would run for president if people wanted him and placed the chances of a future campaign between 65% and 70%.
  • Lemon claimed he could be a better president than Donald Trump but acknowledged that campaigning would require full-time devotion.
  • The former CNN host said he is weighing whether journalism or becoming president is his best way to operate in society.
  • Lemon did not specify an election year, but the 60-year-old could be considering 2032 or 2036.

Former CNN host Don Lemon is publicly entertaining a run for president, saying during a recent podcast appearance that he would consider launching a campaign if the public called for it. The fired cable news host also put surprisingly high odds on eventually seeking the White House.

“If the people want me, I’ll do it,” Lemon said, according to Just The News.

Lemon discussed the possibility with host Spencer Macnaughton during an appearance on the Uncloseted podcast. He presented a presidential campaign as a serious option while also pointing to the demands of his current journalism work.

“Look, I never say never. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now doing what I’m doing,” Lemon told Macnaughton.

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“This is not easy to do every day, but … I am very aware of the importance of what I’m doing, what it means to the culture and society,” Lemon continued.

The former CNN host made clear that he believes he could perform better as president than President Donald Trump. At the same time, Lemon acknowledged that running for the nation’s highest office would require a major commitment of time and attention.

“I think I could be a better president than Donald Trump … But it is a daunting undertaking to run for president in this country because you’d have to be devoted to it full-time. And I would like to devote much of my time to journalism,” Lemon said.

His remarks placed journalism and a possible presidential bid side by side as competing paths. Lemon said he is considering whether he can best operate in society through his current profession or through becoming president of the United States.

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“It makes me wonder, my best way of being and operating in this society, whether it is through journalism or if it is through becoming the president of the United States,” he continued.

Lemon gave the possibility more weight than a routine refusal to rule out a campaign. He placed the chances of a future presidential run between 65% and 70%, according to the account of his podcast appearance.

He did not specify which election year he might target. Lemon, who is currently 60, could be considering a campaign in 2032 or 2036, but Lemon himself did not identify either year during the remarks provided.

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The presidential chatter follows Lemon’s most recent reported journalism effort in Minneapolis earlier this year. He was arrested and charged with federal civil rights crimes, according to a January report from Breitbart News.

Lemon had gone live on YouTube while protesters stormed Cities Church during a service. During the incident, Lemon explained that he was “not part of the group” and said he was present as a journalist who was “photographing.”

That episode remains part of the journalism work Lemon says he wants to continue pursuing. His podcast remarks showed that he views that work as important to culture and society, even while weighing the demands and visibility of a presidential campaign.

Lemon’s comments did not amount to a formal campaign announcement. Instead, he repeatedly described a potential run as something he has not ruled out, while offering a numerical estimate that indicates the idea is more than a passing thought.

The former CNN host also emphasized that a campaign would require full-time devotion. That requirement appears central to the choice he described between continuing to dedicate much of his time to journalism and pursuing the presidency.

For now, Lemon is leaving the door open and placing the decision partly in the hands of people who might want him to run. Whether that public demand emerges, and whether his stated 65% to 70% chance becomes an actual campaign, remains unanswered by his podcast remarks.

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