CNN host Don Lemon offered an on-air apology after he mocked Trump supporters alongside guests Rick Wilson and Wajahat Ali on Saturday - suggesting they're illiterate rednecks while imitating southern accents.

The arrogance, the dismissiveness, the smug cackling, the accents.



If Donald Trump wins re-election this year, I’ll remember this brief CNN segment late one Saturday night in January as the perfect encapsulation for why it happened. pic.twitter.com/8kQ6zN9AZV — Steve Krakauer (@SteveKrak) January 28, 2020

The segment went largely unnoticed - being CNN and all, until President Trump tweeted it on Monday, writing "Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television (with terrible ratings!)"

In response to the backlash, Lemon 'apologized' Tuesday... by claiming he didn't hear all the jokes .

#BREAKING: @DonLemon addressing the now-viral Saturday @CNNTonight segment mocking and showing such venom toward Trump supporters. Not surprisingly, Lemon deflected: "I don't believe in belittling people....In the moment...I didn't catch everything that was said." pic.twitter.com/oI4eNz7rkR — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 29, 2020

Wajahat Ali, a New York Times Op-Ed writer, turned himself into the victim, saying that his friends and family now fear for his safety.

Are your national tv appearances supposed to be kept secret?



The desire to be a victim in 2020 is incredible — SETH WEATHERS (@sethweathers) January 28, 2020

Amazing hypocrisy.