WATCH: Trump Unloads On Don Lemon After Minneapolis Church Chaos

President Donald Trump blasted former CNN host Don Lemon on Tuesday, condemning his role in a disruptive anti-ICE protest that overtook a Sunday church service in Minnesota and praising the pastor who remained calm as activists descended on the sanctuary.

Speaking during his press briefing at the White House, Trump tore into Lemon for what he described as disgraceful behavior inside a house of worship.

“They’re patriots and they have to be abused by guys like Don Lemon, who’s a, you know… loser, lightweight,” Trump said. “I saw him the way he walked in that church. It was terrible. I have such respect for that pastor. He was so calm. He was so nice. He was just accosted. What they did in that church was horrible yesterday. Look at it here.”

The comments came after a group of anti-U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement activists interrupted a Sunday service at Cities Church, a Southern Baptist Convention affiliated congregation in St. Paul. Videos from the scene show protesters entering the sanctuary during worship while Lemon livestreamed the confrontation to his social media followers.

WATCH:

NEW: Don Lemon tries lecturing a pastor on the First Amendment after a mob of far leftists stormed a church in Minneapolis.

Pastor: “This is unacceptable. It’s shameful to interrupt a public gathering of Christians in worship…”

Lemon: “Listen, there’s a constitution, the First… pic.twitter.com/joHdCvaXe6

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) January 18, 2026

Lemon, who now hosts an independent online program after his departure from CNN, narrated the event in real time and repeatedly praised the activists, likening their actions to tactics used during the civil rights movement. At one point, he told churchgoers that disrupting a worship service was a “First Amendment right” and suggested there should be no limits on conduct inside a church.

Protesters shouted slogans, including “hands up, don’t shoot,” a phrase tied to the widely debunked narrative surrounding the Michael Brown shooting. One activist, identified online as “dawokefarmer,” was heard threatening congregants and labeling them “fake Christians” and “comfortable white people.”

The agitators claimed the protest targeted pastor David Easterwood, alleging he serves as Acting Field Office Director for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Enforcement and Removal Operations in St. Paul. They described the action as a “clandestine” effort to confront him.

Five months ago, a trans shooter killed 2 people at a Minneapolis church and wounded 30 more.

That makes what Don Lemon and his leftist thugs did at another Minneapolis church even more disgusting. pic.twitter.com/8anm7I5uL9

— Christian Tweets (@JesusSavesUs777) January 19, 2026

As of this report, there is no evidence supporting claims that Easterwood holds an ICE leadership role. The rumor spread rapidly across social media platforms amid heightened tensions over immigration enforcement in the Twin Cities.

Trump, however, left little room for ambiguity. He framed the incident as a direct attack on law-abiding Americans and religious institutions, reserving his highest praise for the pastor who refused to escalate the confrontation.

“What they did in that church was horrible,” Trump said again, pointing to the footage. “That pastor showed incredible restraint.”

“It’s notable that I’ve been cast as the face of a protest I was covering as a journalist — especially since I wasn’t the only reporter there. That framing is telling,” Lemon claimed in a statement. “What’s even more telling is the barrage of violent threats, along with homophobic and racist slurs, directed at me online by MAGA supporters and amplified by parts of the right-wing press.”

“If this much time and energy is going to be spent manufacturing outrage, it would be far better used investigating the tragic death of Renee Nicole Good— the very issue that brought people into the streets in the first place,” Lemon added. “I stand by my reporting.”