CNN commentator Ana Navarro couldn’t even get Don Lemon to agree with her, as she appeared on his show Monday night to argue Tucker Carlson deserved to be harassed while vacationing with his family. Navarro became increasingly agitated as the liberal CNN host argued that even Carlson deserved to not be “intimidated” while out in public.
Lemon started the segment by admitting he didn’t want to have to side with the Fox “propaganda” host: “I never thought I would be in this position to maybe somehow have to defend Tucker Carlson, but we'll see where this goes. I have mixed emotions about this one,” he acknowledged.
But Lemon went on to pose to his guests, Ana Navarro and Scott Jennings, that this confrontation may have “went a little too far.”
Yet Navarro, like fellow View host Joy Behar did yesterday, nonsensically defended the man who harassed Carlson as “not aggressive” and actually “polite.”
“[Y]ou know, I actually thought the guy who confronted him was quite polite, was not shouting, was not violent, was not aggressive in any way. He expressed his opinion in the same way that Tucker Carlson expresses his opinion on a nightly basis on a much larger platform,” she stated before saying that this kind of behavior comes with the territory of sharing your opinions on TV, relaying how she has also been confronted by a Trump supporter.
As the CNN host stated that shouldn’t happen to anyone on TV, Navarro got snippy:
Okay. Well, Don, I also don't think there should be hurricanes or there should be COVID. But crap happens, okay? We get remunerated for giving our opinion and that comes with good and that comes with bad. So put on your big boy pants or your big girl pants and get on with life.
She went on to argue Carlson deserved to be harassed for what he says on Fox: "And look, when it comes to Tucker Carlson, it's not just about infrastructure or immigration or you name it. It's about COVID and it's about life and death. I think people are very raw and emotional and angry about that in particular."
But oddly enough Lemon kept pushing back, despite defending Maxine Waters when she encouraged this type of hostility:
But First Amendment right doesn't mean invading my personal space, I'm sorry, Ana. I understand what you're saying and I get it. I think what Tucker says much of the time is completely reprehensible and divorced from reality. But he has a right to be in a space and not be accosted and not be ambushed by anyone…
Despite claiming she wasn’t “condoning” or “encouraging” these kind of public confrontations, Navarro again argued Carlson deserved it:
I'm saying that in the same way that Tucker Carlson spews out hatred every night and racism every night and anti-COVID rhetoric every night, which puts lives at risk, this guy in this fish store, whatever the hell it was, has a right to his opinion.
But much to her chagrin, Lemon couldn’t be convinced. “Look, I know it comes with a territory, but you know the difference between someone being aggressive and blocking you from walking or moving or not letting you get your point across,” he argued.
That’s when Navarro lost it: [click expand]
NAVARRO: Okay. Where was Tucker Carlson when Donald Trump was saying you were the enemy of the people?
LEMON: But it is not --
NAVARRO: Who the hell is encouraging this? It's not you, not me encouraging this.
LEMON: I think you're mixing two different things.
NAVARRO: They have been -- they encouraged Trump, saying the media and the press was the enemy of the people, and shouting horrible things about CNN and other outlets.
LEMON: And we call them out for that. But you don't want to become -- Ana, you don't want to become them.
NAVARRO: Forgive me if I don't shed tears over Tucker Carlson.
LEMON: But you don't want to become them. You don't want to become that.
NAVARRO: No, I don't.
LEMON: Yeah.
NAVARRO: But I also don't want to forgive them or forget the stuff they've done for four years. And I also want to acknowledge why people are angry. Listen, they've been spewing out crap about COVID and anti- Fauci stuff and anti-vaccine stuff, and people are dying.
LEMON: That doesn't mean that you have to intimidate people in public.
NAVARRO: And people have every right to be furious.
LEMON: That doesn't mean that you have to get in people's face in public.
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Read the transcript below:
Don Lemon Tonight
7/27/2021
DON LEMON: Ana, all of us, we're all on TV. We've been approached. We hear good things, we hear bad things from people. We don't even know who they are, it's part of the gig. Don't you think this went a little too far, though?
ANA NAVARRO: Umm, you know, I actually thought the guy who confronted him was quite polite, was not shouting, was not violent, was not aggressive in any way. He expressed his opinion in the same way that Tucker Carlson expresses his opinion on a nightly basis on a much larger platform. Listen, Don I’ve seen videos like this about Chris Cuomo when his kids are in tow. This has happened to me. It happened to me at a market in Miami. There was this lady stalking me. I thought she wanted a selfie. No. She wanted to insult me for not -- for loathing Trump.
LEMON: But I don't think that should happen to you, Ana, I don't think it should happen to Chris or me or Scott.
NAVARRO: Okay. Well, Don, I also don't think there should be hurricanes or there should be COVID. But crap happens, okay? We get remunerated for giving our opinion and that comes with good and that comes with bad. So put on your big boy pants or your big girl pants and get on with life.
And look, when it comes to Tucker Carlson, it's not just about infrastructure or immigration or you name it. It's about COVID and it's about life and death. I think people are very raw and emotional and angry about that in particular.
So I think that with the platform we all have, Scott, you, all of us, Tucker, I have, comes the benefit of some people liking what we say and some people not liking what we say. In the same way I have a First Amendment right and they have a First Amendment right. Deal with it.
LEMON: But first amendment right doesn't mean invading my personal space, I'm sorry, Ana. I understand what you're saying and I get it. I think what tucker says much of the time is completely reprehensible and divorced from reality. But he has a right to be in a space and not be accosted and not be ambushed by anyone…
SCOTT JENNINGS: I thought the guy actually looked pretty aggressive. He got right in his face. He was right up chest to chest with him. He looked like he was trying to move with Tucker as Tucker was trying to get away.
…
LEMON: And listen, again, I know people have the right. I'm on TV. I give my point of view and I say my take all the time. And so I understand it's going to happen. But do I like it? No. Ana, go on, respond. What do you want to say?
NAVARRO: There are a lot of things in life I don't like, Don. But they happen and that come with the territory. I'm not condoning it. I'm not encouraging it. I'm saying that in the same way that Tucker Carlson spews out hatred every night and racism every night and anti-COVID rhetoric every night, which puts lives at risk, this guy in this fish store, whatever the hell it was, has a right to his opinion.
And so I can't say that one's right is greater than the other. And again, I have actually seen video of this exact same thing happen to Chris Cuomo while one of his daughters was in tow. And is it uncomfortable? Is it awkward? Is it unpleasant? Is it horrible? All of those things, yes.
But when we take on the job of going on TV and spewing our opinions, we should know that that comes with the consequence of other people approaching us and spewing their opinions. And as long as there is no violence, and this man was not violent, as long as there is no violence, I think they had exactly their right to their opinion.
LEMON: Ana, there is a difference between --
NAVARRO: The only thing is I think this guy was wrong. I think this guy was wrong. But let me tell you, Don --
LEMON: Hang on, Ana. There is a difference between saying your opinion --
NAVARRO: No, wait. This guy has said that Tucker Carlson is the worst person known to man. I think Tucker Carlson is one of the worst people known to man and women.
LEMON: Okay.
NAVARRO: So I think he was a little less than what I would have said.
LEMON: Ana, listen, I'm not saying what the guy said was right or wrong. There's a difference between stating your opinion and standing and intimidating someone and blocking them. People stop me all the time and give me their opinions and sometimes I don't like it. But you know when someone is being aggressive. You know when they are in your personal space.
Of course, that comes with the territory. I was in the whole foods the other way. This guy talked to me. He said, look, I watch you all the time, I don't agree with you. Let me tell you what I don't agree with you about. We stood there and had a conversation. That is not what happened in that video.
Look, I know it comes with a territory, but you know the difference between someone being aggressive and blocking you from walking or moving or not letting you get your point across. There is a difference in someone respectfully saying, I don't agree with you and let me tell you why, do you have a second? If I say no, I don't have a second, move on. If I say, sure, you engage them and you want to.
That's a different thing. But I don't think that we should be encouraging this. This should not happen to Chris.
NAVARRO: Who the hell is encouraging it, Don?
LEMON: It should not happen to Anderson. It should not happen to Tucker Carlson as well.
NAVARRO: Okay. Where was Tucker Carlson when Donald Trump was saying you were the enemy of the people?
LEMON: But it is not --
NAVARRO: Who the hell is encouraging this? It's not you, not me encouraging this.
LEMON: I think you're mixing two different things.
NAVARRO: They have been -- they encouraged Trump, saying the media and the press was the enemy of the people, and shouting horrible things about CNN and other outlets.
LEMON: And we call them out for that. But you don't want to become -- Ana, you don't want to become them.
NAVARRO: Forgive me if I don't shed tears over Tucker Carlson.
LEMON: But you don't want to become them. You don't want to become that.
NAVARRO: No, I don't.
LEMON: Yeah.
NAVARRO: But I also don't want to forgive them or forget the stuff they've done for four years. And I also want to acknowledge why people are angry. Listen, they've been spewing out crap about COVID and anti- Fauci stuff and anti-vaccine stuff, and people are dying.
LEMON: That doesn't mean that you have to intimidate people in public.
NAVARRO: And people have every right to be furious.
LEMON: That doesn't mean that you have to get in people's face in public.
NAVARRO: Okay. Then --
LEMON: Don't watch Tucker Carlson. Don't watch him. Oh, our signal broke up.
LEMON: Okay. I got to run, guys. Scott --
LEMON: Our signal broke up. Thank you, Scott.
JENNINGS: Hey, quiet. It's a rare night, Don, when you get to speak for me. This is amazing.
