CNN host Don Lemon verbally unloaded on Republican Senator Tim Scott when he claimed during a Fox News appearance that "woke supremacy is as bad as White supremacy."
Scott—who is the only Black Republican member of the Senate—made the comment on Fox News Primetime as a reaction to MSNBC's Joy Reid accusing the Senator of attending a recent press conference opposing minimum wage increase to create a "patina of diversity" within the Republican party.
The Junior Senator from South Carolina fired back at Reid and told Fox News host, Trey Gowdy:
"Woke supremacy is as bad as White supremacy. We need to take that seriously."
But Lemon—who saw Scott's reactionary statement as misinforming Americans—tore into the conservative Senator and accused him of gaslighting.
According to Merriam-Webster, "woke" is defined as being "actively attentive to important facts and issues (especially issues of racial and social justice)."
Newsweek noted conservatives have twisted the term's definition and increasingly used the word and tied it with complaints of "cancel culture."
They argued the ceasing of Dr. Seuss book publications and the "Mr. Potato Head" name change were examples of the Left going too far with their "wokeness."
Urban Dictionary defined "woke supremacy" as:
"The belief that woke people are superior to those of all other races, especially the black race, and should therefore dominate society."
It added:
"They also are a branch of Neo-Marxism, communism, Democratic Socialism, fascism. They to finding a final solution and seek to destroy culture, while wishing to eradicate all that are non-woke descent."
Lemon lambasted Scott for his audacity in suggesting woke supremacy was as big a threat as White supremacy.
He proceeded to ask the Senator to "explain who these woke supremacists are."
"I've never seen a woke supremacist lynching anybody. Never saw a woke supremacist denying anybody access to housing or a job or education or voting rights."
"Never saw any woke supremacists enslaving anybody. Never saw any woke supremacists trying to keep people from marrying amongst different races."
The CNN host, no longer able to hold back his anger, yelled, "Come on, Tim Scott!"
You can watch the segment of Don's Take in the video, below.
As President Biden works to give millions of Americans what they want, the GOP is the party of no, says @donlemon.… https://t.co/4yjQRfz617— Don Lemon Tonight (@Don Lemon Tonight) 1615433904.0
Accompanied by footage of the U.S. Capital being attacked by the violent mob—which included rioters with ties to White supremacy—Lemon continued:
"I didn't see any woke supremacists storming the blanking Capitol. Where are the woke supremacists attacking police? Where are the woke supremacists hunting police officers in the halls of the Capitol and beating them with Blue Lives Matter signs?"
"Guess who police officers were beaten by? Guess who wanted to hang the vice president? White supremacists, Tim Scott. What are you doing?!"
"Were the woke supremacists carrying the Confederate battle flag in the nation's Capitol? Tim Scott? Tim!"
@donlemon Is going off on Tim Scott and I'm loving it! Amazing show tonight.— D-Cribs (@D-Cribs) 1615432689.0
"Tim, I have to. I know you don't want me to yell, but this is ridiculous," he said.
"You are gaslighting people. You are giving people misinformation. What are you doing, brother? What are you doing? What are you doing? You're not helping."
Twitter showed appreciation for Lemon's extremely passionate but justifiable response.
@CNNTonight @donlemon Thank you Don, that was ridiculous (Tim Scott).— Michael Gilani 🇨🇦🇺🇸 (@Michael Gilani 🇨🇦🇺🇸) 1615434291.0
@CNNTonight @donlemon This was amazing and heartbreaking.— lilly (@lilly) 1615436041.0
@donlemon @KFILE Thank You Don for giving Turn coat Tim Scott a verbal SmackDown last night, he really deserved it… https://t.co/PpEboxftQY— Tone (@Tone) 1615499666.0
Don Lemon channeled all of my “what-the-hell-are-you-doing-Tim-Scott” emotion tonight. It was a thing of beauty.— Lurie Daniel Favors, Esq. (@Lurie Daniel Favors, Esq.) 1615436261.0
don lemon is losing his goddamn mind right now about tim scott’s “woke supremacy” comment and it is fantastic— Jillionaire NotACat $moneyotto (@Jillionaire NotACat $moneyotto) 1615432639.0
@DonLemon is absolutely DESTROYING Tim Scott, and I am here for it.— RoTweets (@RoTweets) 1615432589.0
On March 2, FBI Director Christopher Wray told congressional lawmakers the deadly attack in their workplace on January 6 was "domestic terrorism," adding "there's no doubt" the riot:
"included individuals that we would call militia violent extremists and in some instances, individuals that were racially motivated violent extremists who advocate for the superiority of the White race."