The following is an edited transcript excerpt from The Michael Knowles Show.
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Since getting canned from CNN, Don Lemon has apparently decided to reinvent himself. Not as a journalist, but as some kind of YouTuber or “man on the street” troll. Whatever this is supposed to be, it’s Don Lemon wandering around with a microphone.
After conspiring with a Left-wing mob to violate the FACE Act and interrupt a church service in Minneapolis, Lemon is now suddenly popping up on sidewalks questioning random people about illegal immigration. And he’s armed with the most childish, recycled Left-wing talking points imaginable.
You’ve heard these lines before. Probably from your lesbian cousin or your purple-haired roommate, whichever liberal you love and tolerate in your own life. And Don Lemon delivers the greatest hit right on cue: crossing the border illegally is not a crime.
Watch:
Don Lemon: “Being here illegally is not a crime, it’s a misdemeanor.”
Ordinary Citizen: “Isn’t a misdemeanor a crime?”
— Verbal Riot (@verbalriotshow) January 20, 2026
Credit: @verbalriotshow/X.com
I love it. This woman Lemon is talking to is clearly not originally from here, she has a slight accent, and she seems to be taking Don Lemon at his word. Lemon keeps insisting that a misdemeanor is not a crime, which is already an insane thing to say. Then a guy off camera finally jumps in and says the obvious: “Yes it is. Ask him. Is a misdemeanor a crime?”
Don Lemon scrambles. “It’s not a criminal act, no. If you get charged with a misdemeanor, it’s not a criminal act.”
The woman then pauses and asks the most basic question imaginable: “So why charge them at all then, if it’s not a criminal act?”
Now he’s backpedaling hard. “Because we have different levels of crime. Everything is not the same.” And that’s when she nails him. She calmly points out that if there are different levels of crime, then it is a crime—just a lesser one than a felony.
Which means he just admitted the whole thing.
Cue the nervous laughter.
And that’s it. She completely humiliates him. It’s painful to watch.
WATCH: The Michael Knowles Show
This is the standard liberal script. They’ll say illegal immigration isn’t a felony, which also isn’t even always true, especially for repeat offenders. But let’s pretend it isn’t. They say it’s just a misdemeanor. The obvious response, which this woman delivered effortlessly, is that misdemeanors are crimes.
Then comes the next dodge: well, lots of things are misdemeanors. Speeding really fast can be a misdemeanor. Certain drug offenses can be misdemeanors. Property crimes, vehicle crimes, whatever.
Fine. Don’t even argue the comparison. Just ask the follow-up question.
What’s the punishment?
Different misdemeanors have different punishments, right? Okay. What’s the punishment for the misdemeanor of illegal immigration?
Deportation.
That’s it. That’s the punishment. And that’s exactly what’s happening.
“But they’re not getting due process!”
Yes, they are. The first step in due process is getting arrested. Then you get processed based on the offense. Then there’s adjudication — guilty, not guilty, released, or removed. That’s the system.
So credit where it’s due. I don’t know this woman’s name, but she did a great job. She didn’t yell. She didn’t posture. She just followed the logic to its conclusion and Don Lemon couldn’t survive his own talking points.