An amazingly crass and insulting segment on “news”-channel CNN aired on Saturday in which Don Lemon, Rick Wilson, and Wajahat Ali mocked Trump supporters as uneducated, illiterate rednecks … eliciting such tearful laughter that Lemon practically fell out of his chair.

The segment has drawn outrage from conservatives to include President Trump who tweeted, “Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television (with terrible ratings!)

Don Lemon, the dumbest man on television (with terrible ratings!). https://t.co/iQXCc7lvCt — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 28, 2020

It actually took a while for word of the cruel derision by the trio to emerge since so few viewers actually saw it happen live. Lemon’s prime-time ratings are beyond dismal.

If the other two names don’t ring a bell, Ali is a New York Times columnist, so he fits in nicely on the fake news network discussion panels. And Wilson is supposedly a Republican political strategist. He is most certainly a never-Trumper and appears regularly on CNN.

The topic for discussion was an angry exchange Secretary of State Mike Pompeo had with an NPR reporter in which Pompeo challenged the reporter to find Ukraine on a map in what was supposed to be an off-the-record post-interview discussion.

Wilson took the Ukraine map reference as a launching point for insulting essentially half the country … those who support President Trump.

He apparently also holds the baby boomer generation and southerners in low regard, given his comments …

“[Pompeo] also knows deep within his heart that Donald Trump couldn’t find Ukraine on a map if you had the letter U and a picture of an actual physical crane next to it,” Wilson said. “He knows that this is, you know, an administration defined by ignorance of the world.”

At that point, Lemon was giggling and snorting and laid his head on the desk.

“And so that’s partly him playing to the base and playing to their audience,” Wilson continued. “You know, the credulous boomer rube demo that backs Donald Trump …”

Encouraged by Lemon who was increasingly overcome with laughter, Wilson moved into his version of a southern accent, continuing: “… that wants to think that Donald Trump’s the smart one- and y’all elitists are dumb!”

At this point, all three were cackling at how clever they were.

“You elitists with your geography and your maps–and your spelling,” Ali added.

“Your math and your reading,” Wilson said. “All those lines on the map!”

“That was good,” Lemon said after composing himself. “That was a good one. I needed that.”

Former CNN producer Steve Krakauer was apparently one of the few who noticed the disgusting bigotry that went out over the air, calling it arrogant, dismissive, and smug …

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

Trump campaign director Brad Parscale was just one of many who were appalled by the Don Lemon train wreck …

Deplorables. This Deplorable is ready. ? https://t.co/r61DGsbWFM — Brad Parscale – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@parscale) January 28, 2020

Former White House press secretary Ari Fleischer and current GOP Rapid Response Director Steve Guest tweeted their reactions …

Trump critics like these three don’t understand how their intolerance of other points of view only drives more people toward Trump. This is so insulting. https://t.co/DEg44aJ1Ug — Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) January 28, 2020

Trump 2020 Director of Communications Tim Murtaugh pointed out to Trump supporters an obvious fact about the penultimate fake news channel … “THEY HATE YOU.”

This is a real segment from an actual program on a cable news network that asks to be taken seriously. Not subtle message to huge parts of America: THEY HATE YOU. pic.twitter.com/iKtsPtzl3F — Tim Murtaugh – Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TimMurtaugh) January 28, 2020

Former CNN commentator Steve Cortes tweeted …

The smug political class hates the tens of millions of Americans who comprise our movement. They can cackle and grandstand…as we build a country based on sovereignty, economic nationalism, and the diffusion of power. https://t.co/TRKAJIxifs — Steve Cortes (@CortesSteve) January 28, 2020

This isn’t disdain or disagreement. What Wajahat, Don, & Rick showed was a disrespect, hatred, & mockery for their fellow man who disagree. I don’t want to hear @JakeTapper, @andersoncooper, @BrianStelter, @ChrisCuomo, or anyone on @CNN lecture about their higher level of decency https://t.co/h47wnkcUCF — Curtis Houck (@CurtisHouck) January 28, 2020