Cable news ratings; Melvin confronts Nikki Haley on Trump; Lemon faces heat for remark on women in their 'prime'

NBC News host Craig Melvin confronted former South Carolina Governor and Trump UN Ambassador Nikki Haley over contradictory statements she has made about ex-President Donald Trump.
Haley announced her candidacy for president on Wednesday. In an interview following the announcement, Trump told Fox News that Haley called to ask for his blessing and labeled him the "greatest president of her lifetime"
Haley refused to dispute Trump’s version of their phone call when Melvin asked her about it on Thursday.
Melvin further noted that Haley slammed Trump after the Jan. 6 insurrection, yet later claimed the GOP needs him to help "get strong people elected."
The host questioned if she believed Trump could both be partially responsible for the insurrection, "but still be an essential part of the party."
Melvin continued to press Haley despite her attempts to mask the contradictory remarks as an ability to tell it as it is.
Kudos to Melvin for being persistent when confronting Haley about her statements on Trump, which should be highlighted by pundits throughout her campaign.

CNN's Don Lemon suggested Nikki Haley stop commenting on the ages of her Republican rivals as she is past her "prime" as a woman.
The comment -- made about a 51-year-old -- sparked swift backlash from pundits across the political spectrum and Lemon has since walked back the remark.
Lemon made the comment on Thursday while discussing Haley's call for "mandatory mental competency tests for politicians over 75 years old.”
"She says people, you know, politicians are suddenly not in their prime," he said to co-hosts Kaitlan Collins and Poppy Harlow.
"Nikki Haley isn’t in her prime. Sorry, When a woman is in their prime in 20s and 30s and maybe 40s …"
Collins and Harlow were not fans of the comment, with Harlow accusing Lemon of faulting Haley for not being the prime "childbearing" age.
The comment was met with bipartisan backlash from pundits, colleagues, and Haley herself, prompting Lemon to walk back his "inartful and irrelevant" in a Thursday tweet.
While Lemon claimed to regret the comment, discussing a woman's "prime," and defining it by her proximity to the age of 20, should seem obviously sexist.