by CNN host Don Lemon has apologized for his comments about women’s “Prime” during a post about 51-year-old Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley.
On Thursday, Lemon, along with his CNN This Morning co-hosts Poppy Harlow and Kaitlan Collins, discussed Haley’s calls for “mandatory intellectual competency tests” for politicians over 75 start of their presidential campaign On Wednesday, Haley made a not-so-subtle exchange with Trump, who is 76, and President Biden, who is 80.
“America isn’t past our prime — it’s just that our politicians are past their prime,” she told a crowd in South Carolina.
Lemon chimed in, saying Haley was unable to determine who was in her prime because of her age.
“I’m uncomfortable with all this talk of age,” Lemon began. “I think it’s the wrong way to go down the path. She says people, you know, politicians or whatever, are not in their prime. Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime, sorry… when a woman is considered in her prime is in her 20’s and 30’s and maybe 40’s.”
To which his co-host Poppy Harlow asks, “Prime for what? … Are you talking about Prime for Childbirth? Or Prime for being President?”
“Don’t shoot the messenger,” Lemon replied. “I’m just saying what the facts are. Google it, everyone at home. … Nikki Haley should be careful when she says politicians are not in their prime, and they must be in their prime when they serve. Because she wouldn’t be in her prime according to Google or whatever.”
The comments sparked a backlash online, with Haley herself posting a clip of the exchange, calling Liberals “sexist”.
“By the way, it’s always the liberals who are the most sexist,” she said tweeted.
Lemon later apologized for his comments on Thursday, saying they were “clumsy and irrelevant.”
“The reference I made this morning to a woman’s ‘prime’ was clumsy and irrelevant, as colleagues and family have pointed out, and I regret it,” Lemon said tweeted. “A woman’s age doesn’t define her personally or professionally. I have countless women in my life who prove that every day.”
