Former CNN newscaster Don Lemon put the odds that he will run for president one day at 65 to 70 percent in an interview on Oct. 3, 2026.
Lemon gave the number on the “Uncloseted Media” podcast, in comments reported Oct. 7. Host Spencer Macnaughton asked him about remarks he made earlier in 2026, when Lemon said he was serious about seeking higher office in the next presidential cycle. Lemon did not back away from them. He attached a figure instead, one that puts his chances better than even.
He attached a caveat. “If the people want me, I’ll do it,” Lemon said. He told Macnaughton: “But if that’s the best way for me to help the American people, then sure, I’ll do it.”
Lemon told Macnaughton he thinks “America is ready for a gay president or a gay black president.” He said he is concerned about “homophobia” and “racism in this country,” which he said he encounters “every single day.” In the same clip, he said the U.S. may not be ready leading into 2028.
A Choice Between Two Jobs
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. The question is still unresolved, he said.
He said watching candidates with easy rapport with crowds nudged him toward a run. Voters approach him on the road alongside those politicians and talk to him much as they talk to the people on the ballot, Lemon said.
Lemon acknowledged the scale of a national campaign, saying a White House bid demands full-time devotion from whoever undertakes it. He said he would rather spend much of his own time on reporting.
Lemon first floated the possibility of running for higher office in July, in an interview on the “Can’t Be Censored” podcast. He insisted then that he had no personal political ambitions. In the same conversation, he said he believed he would make a genuinely good president, provided he could run a campaign without pleading with donors for cash.
That fundraising caveat is the kind of line that ends presidential flirtations before they begin. Modern campaigns are fueled by the donor courtship Lemon says he would rather avoid. The alternative is self-funding or a groundswell of small-dollar enthusiasm, and very few candidates have made either work.
“I’m an Independent,” Lemon Says
Plenty of observers assume a Democratic primary bid, given the political coloring of his cable-news years. Lemon pushed back on that assumption. He said on his own show in late September that people assume he is liberal. “I’m an independent,” he said.
The labels others use for him do not line up. One outlet now describes him as a Democrat. Others call him an “independent journalist,” a professional rather than a party label. No filing or party registration has been reported.
His ballot line remains unclear even if he enters. An independent run and a major-party primary differ entirely in ballot access, money and timing. Lemon did not say which route he would take, and he gave no indication of when he would formally decide. He has announced no filing, chosen no party and floated no launch date. The 65 to 70 percent he gave Macnaughton is the only hard number he has attached to a presidential campaign.
Megyn Kelly Is Rooting for Him
Megyn Kelly endorsed the idea on the Tuesday, Oct. 13 episode of her YouTube show. “OK, I’m going to shock you,” she said. “I think he should do it. I actually think he should do it. First of all, it’s not a dealbreaker that he has spent his life as a journalist. I mean, you could absolutely parlay that into a career in public service.”
Kelly added: “I encourage him and I’m rooting for him. He doesn’t actually think he’s going to win, however.”
Charges Over a Church Protest
Federal agents arrested Lemon in January 2026. He was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy against the right of religious freedom and interfering with that right, over his coverage of a protest at Cities Church in St. Paul.
Lemon pleaded not guilty in February. His lawyers filed motions to dismiss in August, calling the prosecution “vindictive.”
