Don Lemon, hardly known for giving President Trump the benefit of the doubt, conceded that Trump has delivered on “pretty much every promise” he made on policy. The former CNN anchor made the striking admission Wednesday while discussing whether Trump’s comments about a possible third term should be taken seriously.

“I think you always take the person who is the president of the United States seriously and pretty much every promise that he has made, pretty much, like, policy-wise, he has delivered,” Lemon said on the “Who’s With Me?” podcast.

Lemon then rattled off several areas where he believes Trump followed through. “Like he said, ‘Look what I’m gonna do with immigration, I’m gonna do this with taxes, I’m gonna do this with healthcare,’ and he did all of them,” Lemon said.

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That broad concession came with one caveat from the longtime Trump critic. Lemon said the only thing Trump has not been able to deliver on is “pretty much the economy.”

Lemon has previously said he is “serious” about putting his own name on the ballot in the 2028 election and insisted he would be a “really good” president. On the podcast, however, his focus was Trump and the possibility of another campaign for the White House.

Lemon criticized Trump’s remarks about seeking an unconstitutional third term in the Oval Office. He told fellow CNN alum W. Kamau Bell that he takes those remarks seriously, despite their frequently joking presentation.

At the rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner in July, Trump wore a red “Trump 2028” hat and joked about running for another term. His company store also began selling the hats.

Trump has said he would “love to run” and that “everybody wants me to do it.” At the same time, he has acknowledged that “the law’s very strong on that.”

The president has also urged supporters to “pretend, please, that I’m on the ballot” during the November midterm elections. He made that appeal while asking voters to maintain a GOP majority in Congress.

“Yeah, I take it seriously,” Lemon told Bell on the podcast. “Look, he’s got a Supreme Court that is basically under his thumb. He’s definitely gonna try, and no one has been able to stop him. He even defies federal judges right now, so we’ll see.”

Bell and Lemon also complained about the economy and Trump’s promised stimulus checks, which have not materialized. “The ones that people would love him to deliver on is lower gas prices, no more foreign wars,” Bell said.

Lemon interrupted with his own list of unfulfilled promises. “‘I’m gonna lower the price of goods, I’m going to give you a DOGE check, I’m going to give you a tariff rebate or refund check.’ None of those things have come to fruition, and those are the things that people want.”

He then jokingly asked Bell: “Did you get your tariff check or your DOGE check?” The exchange offered a quick return to form after Lemon’s unusually sweeping acknowledgment of Trump’s policy record.

CNN fired Lemon in April 2023 after 17 years with the network, following accusations of sexist and “diva-like behavior.” He has since worked as an independent journalist and hosts “The Don Lemon Show” on YouTube and other streaming platforms.

Lemon has repeatedly raged over Trump’s rise to power and has also clashed with authorities. In January, he was arrested for allegedly joining a group of activists opposed to ICE who stormed a church service in Minnesota.

He recently pleaded not guilty to federal civil rights charges. Lemon has argued that he was acting in his capacity as an independent journalist while covering the church protest.

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