Several journalists and media figures came forward Friday to further condemn the Trump administration after the official X account for the White House mocked journalist Don Lemon’s with the message: “When life give you lemons …”
“When the desire to ‘own the libs’ leads the executive branch to celebrate a blatant violation of someone’s Constitutional rights,” Chuck Todd, host of “Sunday Night With Chuck Todd,” wrote in a tweet. “And the media puppets celebrating this are proving they have no interest in protecting speech. They only want THEIR speech protected not the speech of people they disagree with.”
Sarah Longwell, founder and publisher of The Bulwark, called the White House’s response “psychotic.”
“This is psychotic behavior from the White House Twitter account,” the media figure wrote.
Their responses came after the White House took to X to mock Lemon’s arrest. In a post, the White House official X account wrote: “When life gives you lemons …” They coupled their words with an edited photo of Lemon, which had read: “Don Lemon arrested for involvement in the. St. Paul Church Riots.”
On Thursday, federal agents apprehended Lemon in Los Angeles, his attorney said in a statement, nearly two weeks after the journalist covered an anti-ICE protest at a St. Paul, Minnesota, church that launched a federal effort to indict him.
Lemon was in Los Angeles to cover Sunday’s Grammy Awards. He remains in federal custody, a spokesperson said.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) did not immediately announce the specific charges, but a spokesperson said Lemon is expected to be charged with two federal statutes, one of which protects against those trying to impede someone from practicing their constitutional rights and another that prevents one from interfering with someone’s First Amendment right of religious freedom.
“Don has been a journalist for 30 years, and his constitutionally protected work in Minneapolis was no different than what he has always done,” Lemon’s attorney Abbe Lowell said in a statement. “The First Amendment exists to protect journalists whose role it is to shine light on the truth and hold those in power accountable. There is no more important time for people like Don to be doing this work.”
The Trump administration has escalated its crackdown on the press in recent weeks. Earlier this month, the FBI searched the home of Washington Post reporter Hannah Natanson and seized her devices as part of a leak investigation into a Pentagon contractor.
Along with Lemon’s media colleagues like Todd and Longwell, politicians and political pundits have also shared their opinions on the White House’s controversial response.
Check out some of the reactions below:
