CNN host lambasted for saying presidential candidate Nikki Haley, 51, isn’t ‘in her prime’

Amid ongoing criticism over comments about Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley, Don Lemon was absent on Monday. CNN This Morning. Co-host Poppy Harlow told viewers that, “Don has the day off.”

Lemon has not been on the air since Thursday, when the discussion on CNN This Morning on the politician’s age, he said Haley, 51, was not “in his prime.” Women, he said, are considered to be in their prime “in their 20s, 30s and maybe even 40s.”

Challenged by Harlow, Lemon added: “Don’t shoot the messenger, I’m just saying what the truth is.”

Lemon, 56, has since apologized, but has been condemned by many, including CNN CEO Chris Licht. CNN reported that Licht chastised Lemon during an editorial call on Friday, saying his remarks were “unacceptable” and “unfair to his colleagues.”

A CNN spokeswoman had no immediate comment on whether Lemon would return Tuesday.

Haley responds to ‘sexist’ comments

Haley weighed in on Lemon’s comments on Twitter.

“I always make liberal heads explode. They can’t stand the idea of ​​a conservative minority woman running for president,” she wrote.

At another tweethe wrote that “always the most sexist liberals.”

Haley, a former South Carolina governor and United Nations ambassador, announced her candidacy for president last Tuesday, becoming the first primary challenger to former president Donald Trump for the 2024 Republican nomination.

If elected, Haley would become the country’s first female president and the first US president of Indian descent.