CNN's Don Lemon tells the backstory about the bizarre feud with Donald Trump: 'He started out by calling me a racist'

CNN's Don Lemon has made headlines recently after being attacked by President Donald Trump on Twitter.  However, President Trump's dislike for Lemon did not happen overnight. On Tuesday, Lemon talked with CNN's Wolf Blitzer to provide the backstory about how his feud with the president ignited.

"The last time I interviewed Donald Trump before he ran for office was before Osama Bin Laden, was killed and we had a roue about the birther issue," Lemon said. "It didn't get many pickups, he vowed he would never do an interview with me because he said I was racist because I challenged him on an infactual statement."

CNN's Gloria Borger was shocked and asked Lemon to clarify "He said you were racist?!"

"Finally, he decided he would do an interview with me and my producers intervened and we talked. He said, 'Oh, my gosh you're really good.' I really respect you and he kept doing interviews with me subsequently after that, eight or nine of them," Lemon said.

However, their relationship changed after Trump became president.

"Then once he became president of the United States and you have to hold his feet to the fire, all of a sudden he doesn't like what I'm doing," Lemon said. "Or when he gets something wrong or when he does something crazy or he says something crazy - tweets something that's just beyond the pale, all of a sudden he doesn't like me."

Lemon said that President Trump could not take the heat.

"If you don't want to be challenged in interviews, then you need not be run for political office or work for someone who's going to be president of the United States. That's the long and short of it," he concluded.

Watch the video below via CNN.