Don Lemon is still floating the idea of running for president in 2028, months after he began teasing the possibility. The former CNN host appears convinced that his current podcast platform could somehow become a springboard to the White House, as reported [1] by The Gateway Pundit.
Lemon has remained in the media after being fired by CNN in 2023 and starting his own show. Now the outspoken critic of President Donald Trump is openly discussing a presidential campaign despite having no political experience.
The former host recently claimed there is a “65- 70%” chance that he will launch a bid for the White House. He has also said he would make a better president than Trump and promoted what he considers his appeal to voters.
Former CNN host Don Lemon says there is a “65, 70%” chance he will run for president. https://t.co/CHYZvgMgGO
— Leading Report (@LeadingReport) October 13, 2026 [2]
That is quite a leap for a media personality whose most prominent political credential is criticizing Trump. Yet Lemon continues talking as though the Democratic nomination might be waiting for him once he finally decides to enter the race.
The article notes that 20 or more Democrats are also planning to run in 2028. Lemon has not explained why that crowd would step aside or why Democratic voters would rally behind a former cable news host with no experience in office.
The sharper problem for Lemon is that some of his former CNN colleagues are openly mocking or dismissing the idea. Their reactions range from amusement to skepticism, hardly the roaring vote of confidence one might expect for a supposed future president.
One CNN staffer reached back to one of Lemon’s most infamous moments at the network. The staffer invoked Lemon’s 2023 remarks about then Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley and whether she was in her “prime.”
“Doesn’t someone, according to Don Lemon, have to be in their ‘prime’ to run for president? That would certainly rule Don out,” the CNN staffer told Fox News Digital.
The comment pointed directly at the controversy Lemon created when he suggested Haley was past her “prime” at age 51. His remarks angered female colleagues and sparked public fury, and Lemon later apologized for making them.
The age comparison now supplies Lemon’s former colleagues with an obvious punchline. Lemon is currently 60, making him almost six years older than Haley was when he made the comment that landed him in hot water.
Another CNN staffer sounded more entertained than impressed by the possible campaign. “I love it. Bring it on,” the staffer told Fox News Digital when asked about Lemon’s potential presidential bid.
That staffer said political office might genuinely appeal to Lemon but did not view a presidential run as a serious proposition. Instead, the person suggested Lemon could use such a campaign to propel himself toward another office.
“I think political office is probably appealing to him. I think a presidential run is obviously not serious, but he could engage in it as a way to launchpad into another office,” the staffer said.
The same CNN staffer argued that Lemon would need to choose between functioning as a media personality and seriously seeking office.
“If Don has the itch, there are ways to scratch it that are more serious. It takes a single-minded focus, and he can’t be a media personality and do it at the same time.”
For now, Lemon remains a former CNN host with a podcast, no political experience, and an apparent fascination with the presidency.
Even the people who once worked alongside him are treating the idea as material for jokes rather than the beginnings of a credible White House campaign.