Staff and wire reports

CNN’s Don Lemon did not back down despite criticism from President Donald Trump, twice labeling president's remarks as racist while he was moderating Wednesday’s Democratic debate.

Lemon, with partners Jake Tapper and Dana Bash, presided over debates with questions designed to highlight differences between the 10 candidates onstage, most of whom eagerly took the bait.

Trump used Twitter on Wednesday to attack Lemon. After insulting Lemon’s intelligence, the president said the CNN anchor had insinuated that he was a racist, “when in fact I am ‘the least racist person in the world.’” Trump was apparently quoting himself.

Hours after the tweet was sent, Lemon asked Colorado Sen. Michael Bennet what he would do to bridge a racial divide that “has been stoked by the president’s racist rhetoric.”

In another question to former Housing Secretary Julián Castro, Lemon referred to Trump’s “racist tweets” about Baltimore. In an attack on Democratic Rep. Elijah Cummings last weekend, Trump had referred to Cummings’ Baltimore district as a “rodent infected mess.”

It was even sharper terminology than Lemon had used the night before, when he said Trump “is pursuing an election strategy based in part on racial division.” In another question, Lemon referred to “the president’s bigotry.”

LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD defended Lemon, who is gay, in a Wednesday tweet that said Trump’s “continued attacks on the intelligence of prominent black Americans are abhorrent and telling.”

Original story:Trump slams Don Lemon as 'dumbest man on television' over debate question

This isn't the first time Trump has questioned Lemon's intelligence. In May, he mocked CNN's Chris Cuomo for "record low" ratings while attacking Lemon as "the dumbest man on television."

"Wow! CNN Ratings are WAY DOWN, record lows. People are getting tired of so many Fake Stories and Anti-Trump lies. Chris Cuomo was rewarded for lowest morning ratings with a prime time spot - which is failing badly and not helping the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon!" the Trump tweet read.

Earlier, in August 2018, he called both basketball star LeBron James and Lemon dumb after James criticized the president in an interview with Lemon on CNN.

“Lebron James was just interviewed by the dumbest man on television, Don Lemon,” Trump tweeted. “He made Lebron look smart, which isn’t easy to do. I like Mike!”

'Now you fight for our pleasure!':Seth Meyers slams CNN moderators for encouraging arguments in debate

Lemon didn’t mince words when he later talked about the controversy for nine minutes on CNN.

"The president has called a lot of people stupid," Lemon said. "Some of those people are white. But I would just like to note that referring to an African American as dumb — remember this is America — is one of the oldest canards of America’s racist past and present: that black people are of inferior intelligence."

Trump also has made the black Congresswoman Maxine Waters of California a special target of his contempt, repeatedly describing her at rallies and on Twitter as having an "extraordinarily low I.Q."

Contributing: David Bauder, Associated Press and Maria Puente and Sara Moniuszko, USA TODAY