By Al Perrotta, The Daily Signal | May 11, 2026
Former CNN host Don Lemon once again teased a 2028 presidential run during an appearance last week at the Vanity Fair “Truth Tellers” summit in London.
“I’m a man of a certain age,” he said when asked about the possibility of running for president. “Why not?”
The moderator, journalist Kara Swisher, chuckled, according to Vanity Fair.
“You laugh,” Lemon replied. “I’m a self-made millionaire, from a country where my ancestors were enslaved, so I think that’s a pretty big accomplishment. … I made it to the top of my profession.”
Lemon left out that he was dismissed from that top position by CNN in 2023 over accusations he mistreated female co-workers and after making what was seen as a sexist comment that then-GOP candidate Nikki Haley was “past her prime.”
Lemon has since started his own podcast, “The Don Lemon Show.” The journalist began floating a presidential run on the “Pod Save America” podcast in March and doubled down during an appearance on the daytime talk show “Sherri” April 15.
‘I Think the Country Needs Me’
Lemon explained to Vanity Fair’s Harry Lambert why he is seriously considering challenging for the Democratic Party’s 2028 presidential nomination.
“I think the country needs me,” Lemon said, adding that he fits the bill for what the Democrats are looking for in a candidate. “I think someone who’s savvy about digital media and social media would make a better candidate than most. And that person would be me.”
He also cited the recent direction of the Democratic Party as one in need of correction.
“The party took a wrong turn,” he said. “I don’t know if it became obsessed with identity issues, but I do think that Democrats sometimes tend to eat their own and to alienate their allies, right?”
When asked about the demands of the position, Lemon answered, “The essential qualification is to listen to people. To listen to the American people. To listen to the experts and to people who know more than you.”
Lemon Facing Criminal Charges
Lemon faces another challenge to his potential bid for the presidency. He is currently facing federal criminal charges for his involvement in the storming of Cities Church in St. Paul, Minnesota, by anti-Immigration and Customs protesters during a Sunday service in January.
Lemon and eight others were charged under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, known as the FACE Act, with conspiracy against the right of religious freedom at a place of worship, as well as conspiracy to intimidate and interfere with the exercise of the right of religious freedom at a place of worship. Lemon has pleaded not guilty to the charges and has said he was covering the incident as a journalist.
After the storming of the church, Lemon would go onto accuse Cities Church of being rooted in “white supremacy,” as The Daily Signal’s Tyler O’Neil reported at the time.
Is He Running?
The former CNN host says the jury is still out on whether he’ll reach for the presidency.
“Am I going to do it? I don’t know,” Lemon told Vanity Fair. “But if the people want me to run, then I’ll certainly do it.”
Al Perrotta is a contributing editor for the Daily Signal.
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