Acosta, Lemon Podcasts Lob 'Fascist' And 'Nazi' Insults After Lemon's Arrest

Alex Christy
January 30th, 2026 3:15 PM

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After former CNN host Don Lemon was arrested Thursday night for his part in the recent St. Paul church takeover, his former colleague, Jim Acosta, took to his podcast to hurl multiple “fascist” accusations at “MAGA World.” Also on Friday, on Lemon’s own podcasts, his substitute cast would throw in additional Nazi references to echo Acosta’s point.

Speaking with former Capital and D.C. policeman Michael Fanone, Acosta ranted, “It should piss off every American, and it will piss off, I mean, every good patriotic American, non-crazy MAGA Americans will be pissed off about this. In MAGA World, they will whip this up into a frenzy and say, 'Aha, see,” but that's because they are part of a fascist movement in this country, and Americans are just not fascists. They're just not—they don't want that. And they don't want journalists getting arrested for doing their jobs. I mean, we're showing a picture right now, Mike, like he's holding a microphone. He's holding a micro—exhibit A, your honor.”

 

 

Of course, Fanone was only there to agree, “Yeah, I mean it, you know, you're right. I think that the vast majority of Americans recognize this for what it is. Obviously, you know, MAGA, it's, you know, it's, constitutional rights for me, not for thee. If you oppose the MAGA agenda, if you oppose Donald Trump, and his fascist authoritarian regime, then you don't deserve constitutional rights, which obviously is not up to them to determine, but in their mind, it is.”

While Fanone wants to accuse “MAGA” of being hypocritical on who gets constitutional rights and who doesn’t, one can easily turn this back at him and Acosta. The left loves the FACE Act when it is used against pro-lifers in defense of abortion providers, but now that it is being used against left-wing anti-ICE activists in defense of a church, they are singing a new song.

In related podcast ramblings, The Lincoln Project’s Rick Wilson joined The Don Lemon Show and huffed, “They’ve got people in the street shooting Americans because they want us to shut up. They’re arresting journalists because they want us to shut up. If you’re wondering, folks, what you would have done in Nazi Germany in 1936, this is the day.”

 

 

Also on Lemon’s show, TMZ founder Harvey Levin ranted, “Neville Chamberlain should have saw it coming, and he didn’t. And we don’t want to be in that position. So, wise up everybody.”

 

 

It was only a month ago that California arrested a woman for filming outside a Planned Parenthood under the state’s own FACE Act, and Acosta and company didn’t call that fascism. It wasn’t the first time. If Lemon’s argument that simply videotaping the event means he is an independent journalist falls flat, Acosta and company can blame the left for that precedent as well as themselves for not calling it out.

Here is a transcript for the January 29 show:

The Jim Acosta Show

1/30/2026

JIM ACOSTA: It should piss off every American, and it will piss off, I mean, every good patriotic American, non-crazy MAGA Americans will be pissed off about this. In MAGA World, they will whip this up into a frenzy and say, “Aha, see,” but that's because they are part of a fascist movement in this country, and Americans are just not fascists. They're just not—they don't want that. And they don't want journalists getting arrested for doing their jobs. I mean, we're showing a picture right now, Mike, like he's holding a microphone. He's holding a micro—exhibit A, your honor.

MICHAEL FANONE: Yeah, I mean it, you know, you're right. I think that the vast majority of Americans recognize this for what it is. Obviously, you know, MAGA, it's, you know, it's, constitutional rights for me, not for thee.

ACOSTA: Exactly.

FANONE: If you oppose the MAGA agenda, if you oppose Donald Trump, and his fascist authoritarian regime, then you don't deserve constitutional rights, which obviously is not up to them to determine, but in their mind, it is. 

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