Don Lemon, the former CNN newscaster, said the chances he runs for president one day are better than even, putting the odds at 65 to 70 percent in an interview on the “Uncloseted Media” podcast reported Oct. 7, 2026.
Lemon gave the number after host Spencer Macnaughton pressed him about remarks he made earlier in 2026, when he said he was serious about seeking higher office in the next presidential cycle. Lemon did not back away from that earlier answer, and he attached a figure to it.
Weighing Journalism Against a Run
Lemon framed the decision as a choice between two ways of doing the same job. He said he is weighing whether he can accomplish more as a journalist or by seeking the presidency, and he described the question as still unresolved.
Lemon also told Macnaughton: “Look, I never say never. I’ve got a lot on my plate right now doing what I’m doing,” adding, “This is not easy to do every day, but … I am very aware of the importance of what I’m doing, what it means to the culture and society.”
Lemon said what nudged him toward the idea was watching candidates who have an easy rapport with crowds. He said that when he is out on the road alongside those politicians, voters approach him and talk to him much the same way they talk to the people actually on the ballot.
Lemon said fans of his podcast and online commentary show have approached him about running, and that the support he has felt from them since leaving CNN has been “very humbling.”
The Condition Lemon Attached
Macnaughton asked him about a run, and Lemon said: “I think I could be a better president than Donald Trump.”
Lemon attached a caveat, saying, “If the people want me, I’ll do it.”
Lemon said a White House bid in this country demands full-time devotion from whoever undertakes it. He said he would prefer to spend much of his own time on reporting.
No Party, No Filing
Lemon has not made clear what ballot line he would seek if he runs, and he has pushed back on the assumption that he would run in a Democratic primary. On his own show in late September, Lemon said people assume he is liberal and insisted, “I’m an independent.”
Lemon has not said which route he would take, an independent run or a major-party primary campaign. The two differ entirely in ballot access, money and timing.
Lemon did not indicate which election year he was weighing. The next presidential election is 2028, and Lemon is 60 years old, meaning he could also potentially run in 2032.
Lemon has announced no filing, chosen no party and floated no launch date. The 65 to 70 percent he gave Macnaughton remains the only hard number he has put on a presidential campaign.
From Hypothetical to Hard Number
Lemon first floated the trial balloon in July, raising the possibility of running for higher office during an interview on the “Can’t Be Censored” podcast. He insisted in that interview that he had no personal political ambitions, while allowing in the same conversation that he believed he would make a genuinely good president, provided he could mount a campaign without having to plead with donors for cash.
Modern campaigns are fueled by exactly the donor courtship Lemon says he would rather avoid, and the alternative — self-funding or relying on a groundswell of small-dollar enthusiasm — has worked for very few candidates.
Lemon’s public comments have moved in one direction. In July, he was a broadcaster entertaining a hypothetical and disclaiming ambition; by the “Uncloseted Media” interview, he was quantifying his likelihood of running and describing the presidency as one of two serious options for the next phase of his career.
