Don Lemon Concurs Trump Mastered Media Manipulation, Citing Network Business Incentives

Former CNN presenter Don Lemon recently concurred with comedian Trevor Noah that former President Donald Trump effectively managed to manipulate his former network for widespread publicity. Appearing on Noah's "What Now?" podcast on Thursday, Lemon, who departed from CNN in 2023, reflected on how Trump's social media posts frequently became the dominant news story in an increasingly compressed news cycle.

Understanding the Media Dynamic

During their conversation, Noah posed the question, "By the way, now that you bring that up, did you guys at CNN ever know that he was playing you guys like puppets? Did you ever figure it out at some point?" Lemon's response was affirmative.

"Oh, yeah," Lemon stated. "I think, honestly, they maybe knew somewhere in the beginning, but it was good for business. Do you remember [Former CBS CEO] Les Moonves? He goes, ‘Trump is bad for the country, but he’s good for business.'"

Noah also recalled that former CNN President Jeff Zucker reportedly characterized Trump as a "media genius" for his impact, stating:

"Donald Trump is many things, but one thing I’ll tell you is, he’s a one-man ratings wrecking ball machine."

Lemon affirmed Zucker's early understanding of the dynamic. "I tell you, Jeff got hip to it really early, but he never told us what to say," Lemon clarified. He further explained that Zucker's only directive during interviews was "just, ‘Let him talk and fact check.’ You can ask him anything. It’s all in the way you ask the question."

Lemon elaborated on this interviewing technique, suggesting, "You can say 'Trevor, what is wrong with your hair?' Or you can go, 'Trevor, you seem to have a really nice head of hair. What's going on? Did you change something?'" He noted the similarity in the core inquiry but emphasized the difference in approach. He also suggested complimenting the interviewee first: "You’re a marketing genius. Now, this one thing I don’t understand because it didn’t quite go over well with your supporters. What happened?’ And then you’re in."

Impact on Viewership Trends

A study published in February highlighted a significant decline in CNN's viewership. Between 2017 and 2025, corresponding to the initial years of Trump’s two presidential terms, CNN experienced a loss of over 40% of its total day and primetime audience. During the 2016 presidential election coverage, the network saw an average of 1.3 million primetime viewers and a total day audience of 752,000, a period often referred to as a "Trump bump" due to increased interest.

However, by 2025, CNN's primetime viewership had fallen to 573,000, and its total day audience was only 432,000. This represented a 45% decrease in primetime audience and a 44% loss in total day viewers from 2017 through 2025.