CNN anchor Don Lemon on Wednesday called Donald Trump Jr. "a spork" for a poorly executed joke on social media.

Trump Jr., in defense of President Trump's push for more than $5 billion to fund his promised southern border wall, compared the president's pet project to a zoo.

"You know why you can enjoy a day at the zoo? Because walls work," the first son wrote in a temporary post made via Instagram's "stories."

But Lemon swiped at the analogy, asking whether Americans should be offended by Trump Jr.'s quip.

"Essentially if you think about it, right, he's calling Americans animals because we're the ones who are putting a wall around ourselves? We're not putting a wall around Mexico, right?" Lemon said. "That makes me think he didn't think it all the way through. He's not even the sharpest knife in the drawer. Maybe he's a spork. Seriously, you think about the comparison. It doesn't make sense. You shouldn't be comparing people to animals in that way, anyway."

Trump Jr. has caught similar flak for trying to use social media to score political points. In 2016, he was criticized online for comparing refugees to Skittles.

A partial government shutdown, triggered by an impasse over money for a physical barrier along the U.S.-Mexico border, entered its 19th day on Wednesday.