Don Lemon Challenges Nikki Haley's 'Grace' Request Amid American Civil War Comments Controversy

Lemon expressed his disappointment in Haley's request for understanding following her controversial comments, noting that she did not extend the same courtesy to him when he made a misstep in his remarks about her.

"Nikki Haley seeks leniency for her ill-chosen words, yet when I erred in my comments about her, she did not reciprocate that leniency," Lemon stated on X, the platform previously known as Twitter. He further noted that Haley "promptly and publicly criticized me, and then capitalized on it for fundraising."

Haley's contentious comments came in response to a voter's query about her understanding of the cause of the Civil War. Haley, who served as the governor of South Carolina where the first shots of the conflict were fired, and later as the US Ambassador to the UN during President Donald Trump's administration, chose to emphasize the role of the US government at the time.

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"The Civil War was fundamentally about how the government was to be run, the freedoms, and what people were allowed and not allowed to do," Haley stated. When the voter expressed surprise at her failure to mention slavery, Haley retorted, "What do you want me to say about slavery?"

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December 30, 2023

The following day, in a radio interview, Haley attempted to clarify her comments. "I want to nip this in the bud. Yes, we know the Civil War was about slavery. But beyond that, what's the lesson in all this?" she said, as reported by USA Today. She added, "Freedom matters. Individual rights and liberties matter for all people. That's the blessing of America. Slavery was a stain on America. But what we want is to never relive it. Never let anyone take those freedoms away again."

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Lemon's criticism of Haley stems from comments he made about her in February while still a CNN anchor. "Nikki Haley is not in her prime, sorry. A woman is considered to be in her prime in her 20s, 30s and maybe her 40s," he said, in response to Haley's suggestion of "mental competency tests" for politicians over 75. Haley responded by sending a fundraising email to voters labeling Lemon a CNN liberal. Lemon later apologized for his remarks, describing them as "inartful and irrelevant," but was subsequently dismissed by the network in April 2023.

Reflecting on Haley's radio interview, Lemon said, "I'm glad she clarified what she should have said. And, in the spirit of the season, let's see if her actions align with her revised words moving forward."