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‘Have some dignity and a backbone’

Independent journalist Don Lemon on Thursday called for reporters covering President Trump to “have some dignity and some backbone,” following the example of former late-night host Stephen Colbert.

Lemon said on his podcast, “The Don Limon Show“All midnight shows will go dark,” he said in praise of Colbert before the final episode of “The Late Show.” He then turned his attention to the Washington Press Association.

“Don’t let Karoline Leavitt call the next person until you finish your question. Stand behind your colleagues,” he said, referring to White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt. “Stand up for yourself. Have some dignity and some backbone.”

He called on White House reporters to stand up for their colleagues and “defend respect” when faced with Trump’s insults during questioning, telling them to “stand up for the First Amendment.”

“Next time someone calls one of your co-workers a piggy, next time they call her a loser, next time they insult them, next time they tell a Black woman they know shit better than she does, say something!” Lemon shouted.

The former CNN host was referring to the moment aboard Air Force One in November when the president told Bloomberg’s Catherine Lucey, “Quiet, piggy,” after she asked Trump about his ties to sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. Lemon also touched on Trump’s attacks on black women who asked him questions.

Lemon praised Colbert for “knowingly speaking the truth” during his 11 years as host of “The Late Show.”

“And it’s not over yet,” Lemon added. “And he’s not afraid. Then wake up tomorrow and be the same in your own life.”

Trump’s attacks on the press have increased throughout the nearly three-month-long US-Israeli conflict in Iran. Last month, he criticized The New York Times and “stupid CNN” for their coverage of “Operation Epic Fury,” adding that the old reporting was “actually inflammatory in my view.”

Lemon’s former CNN colleague Jake Tapper responded to the remark.

“Reporting these facts is not treason, and for any president to say such a thing is unstable and potentially dangerous to the reporters he accuses of treason,” the host said during an episode of “The Lead.”

The same month that Trump insulted Lucey, the White House released its so-called “media bias” tracker, which highlighted news stories accused of being “crimes” against the administration. The tracker covers Washington Post, MS NOW, CBS News, CNN, The New York Times, Politico and Wall Street Journal.

Colbert and other late-night hosts regularly satirized Trump during both of his administrations, which was often met with Trump blasting them.

The president praised Colbert’s dismissal, sparking a series of Truth Social posts celebrating Colbert’s departure on Thursday and Friday; these included an AI-generated video of the president tossing the former “Colbert Report” host into a trash can.

“Stephen Colbert’s firing from CBS was the ‘Beginning of the End’ for untalented, bad, overpaid, unfunny and very underrated Late Night Television Hosts,” Trump wrote in a post. “Others of less talent will soon follow. May they all Rest in Peace!”

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