Don Lemon, the former CNN anchor turned independent commentator, says he is “totally serious” about weighing a run for the White House in 2028. In an appearance last week on the “Can’t Be Censored” podcast, Lemon said he has been reaching out to political operatives who understand how national campaigns work. He acknowledged having no political experience but expressed confidence in his ability to serve as president.
Lemon said supporters have been encouraging him to run, and he told the podcast he believes he would be a really good president of the United States. He outlined several conditions that would need to be satisfied before making a final decision.
A Campaign Without Fundraising
The biggest of those conditions, Lemon said, is money — or the absence of the endless chase for it. He wants to mount a bid “without having to beg for money,” a goal he conceded may not be realistic in modern presidential politics. What he described instead was a movement powered by small-dollar backers and ordinary voters rather than the grind of high-dollar fundraising.
Lemon said he envisions a campaign funded by small donations of $5 or $10 from ordinary Americans rather than by large contributions, noting economic pressures on many families. A social media post amplifying the interview described his vision as a campaign driven by voters, not by fundraising tedium — a summary that has drawn 44.2K views.
Any decision remains a long way off. Lemon said he does not intend to make an announcement before next year and characterized his current activities as preliminary exploration. He said he has talked with people experienced in political campaigns to learn what a bid would require and the timing needed to mount a credible effort.
“So, as we get closer to 2027 or 2028, I’ll see. I’ll decide,” he said, adding that he already has enough on his plate.
From Anchor Desk to Independent Voice
Lemon’s path to this moment has been turbulent. He joined CNN in 2006 and spent years as one of the network’s most visible faces before he was fired in 2023. The dismissal followed an on-air remark in which he claimed then-Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley was past her “prime,” as well as a Vanity Fair report alleging a long history of misogyny toward female colleagues. Since leaving the network, he has operated as an independent commentator.
That independent chapter has not been without controversy. In January, Lemon was arrested on federal civil rights charges after recording video during a demonstration at a Minnesota church whose pastor works for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The episode underscored how far he has moved from the anchor chair into the thick of the country’s most contentious debates.
Not the Only Media Name Floated
Lemon is hardly the only media personality whose name has surfaced in speculation about the 2028 field. In March, sports commentator Stephen A. Smith said he would consider a run if he believed he could win, even as he insisted he has no desire to ever be a politician. And in December, former “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert said he understood why some people want him to seek office — while stressing that he “absolutely” should not.
The parade of well-known broadcasters testing the political waters reflects a broader appetite among some voters for candidates who arrive with name recognition rather than a résumé of elected offices. Whether that translates into a viable campaign for any of them is another question entirely, and none has taken concrete steps toward a bid.
For now, Lemon’s ambition amounts to an open door rather than a declared candidacy. He has talked to insiders, floated an unconventional funding model and repeatedly cast the prospect as a response to public demand rather than his own design. But he has also made clear that the choice, when it comes, will be his — and that it will not come until 2027 or 2028.
What he is proposing would be an uphill climb: a first-time candidate with no political background attempting to reach the nation’s highest office while resisting the fundraising apparatus that typically underwrites such campaigns. Lemon seems aware of the long odds even as he insists he is serious. Voters, if he is to be believed, will ultimately decide whether his toe in the water becomes a full plunge.