Former CNN anchor Don Lemon offered an unexpected assessment of President Donald Trump’s record, saying Trump has delivered on “pretty much every promise” he made on policy.
Lemon made the remark Wednesday during an appearance on former CNN personality W. Kamau Bell’s “Who’s With Me?” podcast.
The discussion began when Bell asked Lemon how seriously Americans should take Trump’s repeated comments about potentially seeking another term in the White House.
Lemon said he believes comments from a sitting president should be taken seriously.
“I think you always take the person who is the president of the United States seriously,” Lemon said.
He then made the admission that quickly attracted attention.
“Pretty much every promise that he has made – pretty much, like, policy-wise – he has delivered,” Lemon said.
Lemon pointed specifically to immigration, taxes and health care as areas where he believes Trump followed through on the policies he campaigned on.
“Like he said, ‘Look what I’m gonna do with immigration, I’m gonna do this with taxes, I’m gonna do this with healthcare,’ and he did all of them,” Lemon said.
The statement was Lemon’s own assessment of Trump’s record, rather than an independent finding that every campaign promise had been fulfilled.
Lemon also identified what he viewed as Trump’s biggest area of unfinished business.
“The only thing that he hasn’t been able to deliver on is pretty much the economy,” he said.
Bell responded by pointing to promises involving lower gas prices and ending foreign wars.
Lemon then listed several economic promises that he said had not materialized.
He mentioned lower prices for goods, a possible DOGE-related payment and the possibility of tariff rebate or refund checks.
“None of those things have come to fruition and those are the things that people want,” Lemon said.
He then joked with Bell by asking whether he had received either a tariff check or DOGE check.
The broader conversation centered on Trump’s occasional references to a possible 2028 presidential bid.
Trump has said he would “love to run” again while also acknowledging that “the law is very strong” regarding another campaign.
The 22nd Amendment states that no person may be elected president more than twice.
Trump has already been elected twice, in 2016 and 2024, creating a constitutional barrier to another election victory under the amendment as it currently stands.
Lemon nevertheless said he takes Trump’s comments about another term seriously.
“Yeah, I take it seriously,” Lemon said.
He then criticized Trump’s relationship with the Supreme Court and said he believes the president could attempt to find a way to remain in power.
Lemon claimed Trump has a Supreme Court “basically under his thumb,” a characterization reflecting Lemon’s opinion rather than an established description of the court.
Recent events have also shown Trump publicly criticizing Supreme Court justices he appointed after they ruled against his administration in major cases, Trending Politics reported.
Lemon spent 17 years at CNN before the network fired him in April 2023.
He later moved into independent media and now hosts “The Don Lemon Show” on digital platforms.
Despite remaining an outspoken critic of Trump, Lemon’s latest remarks acknowledged what he views as substantial follow-through on the president’s policy agenda.
The comments were notable precisely because Lemon paired that assessment with continued criticism of Trump on the economy, the courts and the possibility of another presidential campaign.
His central acknowledgment, however, was unmistakable: in Lemon’s view, Trump has delivered on “pretty much every promise” he made policy-wise.
