CNN’s Don Lemon opened his show Monday night discussing how he felt when President Trump referred to him as the “dumbest man on television.”

WATCH:

“I just want to start by saying that I wouldn’t normally address this. As a journalist, I don’t really like being the story here but because how important it is for each of us to stand up for what is right and what is decent I’m going to tell you exactly how I feel starting right now,” Lemon began his show.

The president attacked the intelligence of Lemon and NBA superstar LeBron James. (RELATED: Trump Smacks LeBron, CNN’s Don Lemon As ‘Dumbest Man On Television)

“He is not taking any time off from Twitter and apparently from watching me on CNN, which he denies, by the way. I know this because he has tweeted a nasty hateful swipe at me and Lebron James that we’ve been discussing here,” he continued.

“Since this president, since he spews so many insults so often, the president has called a lot of people stupid, some of those people are white. But I would like to note referring to African-Americans as dumb — remember this is America. Referring to African American as dumb is one of the oldest canards of America’s racist past and present that black people are of inferior intelligence,” Lemon added.