Don Lemon slams “religious nationalism” messaging at Charlie Kirk memorial

In a recently dropped episode of the Don Lemon Show on YouTube, journalist Don Lemon characterized the memorial for conservative activist Charlie Kirk as a rally supporting the ‘MAGA,’ or ‘Make American Great Again’ movement.

Kirk, who was killed on September 10 in Utah Valley University, when a shooter targeted him during a debate, was honored at a memorial in Arizona on September 21 which was attended by tens of thousands of supporters.

President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance also took the time out to pay their respects to Kirk, in addition to other popular conservative figures.

During his show, Lemon criticized the display of faith alongside politics, and said,

“What we saw in that arena not simply faith finding public expression. It was religious nationalism on full display. That is the truth. That is my truth…The language was unmistakable. ‘Take the nation back for God.’ ‘Restore America’s covenant.’ ‘This is a holy calling.’ That’s what it sounded like. This is not the language of democracy. This is the language of domination.”

During his recent episode of the Don Lemon Show, Lemon seems to be referring to the fact that the issue of religion was a prominent focal point during the memorial held for Charlie Kirk.

As per The New York Times, the memorial also featured religious personalities who emphasized the message of evangelical Christianity, which was a topic that Kirk himself spoke about during his lifetime.

The publication also noted that Vance also drew attention to Kirk’s faith, and both he and President Trump deemed the activist a ‘martyr.’

Lemon, during his show, slammed the memorial by stating that faith for him was not a public, but a private issue. While speaking about the pitfalls of fusing faith with politics, he added,

“And I say because faith is a private matter. It comforts. It convicts. It calls us to humility. But when faith fuses with power, it begins to ask for something else. It asks for obedience. It divides a country into the saved and the damned, the chosen, and the condemned. It turns opponents into enemies of God. And when politicians wrap themselves in scripture, they are not calling us to virtue. They are demanding submission. That is why this matters.”

NEW: Don Lemon fumes over the Christian messaging at Charlie Kirk’s memorial, says speakers quoted scripture because they were “demanding submission”

“What we saw in that arena was not simply faith finding public expression, it was religious nationalism on full display”

They’re… pic.twitter.com/DbIPMb6p9Z

— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) September 22, 2025

Don Lemon previously became embroiled in an argument with Piers Morgan while speaking about freedom of speech and the reactions to Charlie Kirk’s killing

Just a few days ago, Don Lemon made a contentious appearance on Piers Morgan Uncensored, after which broadcast journalist Piers Morgan called him “a complete d***,” as per The Independent.

While speaking about the media reaction to Charlie Kirk’s death, the two journalists took a detour when Morgan addressed the comments due to which Lemon was reportedly asked to leave from CNN in 2023, as per The Mirror US.

Lemon, however, declined to answer Morgan’s question on whether he would make those comments today, and accused the British journalist of ‘ambushing’ him, noted the publication.

According to The Independent, Lemon said during the show,

“When I asked you what subjects you wanted to talk about, you know what you said to me? You said, ‘I want to talk to you about freedom of speech in America and the response to Charlie Kirk’s death.’ Not once did you mention that we were going to talk about CNN or whatever, and had I known that, I probably wouldn’t have accepted this interview.”

Morgan, however, argued that Lemon’s exit from CNN was relevant to the conversation around cancel culture, as per the news outlet.

After the interview, both journalists took to social media to criticize each other’s conduct during the show.