Those who were disappointed in the presidential election’s outcome still found some value in Van Jones as one of the night’s MVPs. He first lent a voice to anyone who’s terrified by a Trump presidency. He then coolly fended off a persistent Corey Lewandowski, who demanded that Clinton make a 2:00am concession speech. He continued to appear on CNN throughout Wednesday, but of particular note was this clash with Trump surrogate Kayleigh McEnany, which saw Jones finally raise his voice: “I’m not going to be talked over tonight!”
Jones is particularly adept at staying calm and collected when other people get shout-y. Yet this time, the surrogate in question refused to empathize with anyone who doesn’t subscribe to her version of reality. McEnany claimed to want unity but acted clueless on why minorities and women are driven to protest a Trump victory throughout the country. Jones explained how Trump’s promise to deport Muslims “lands like a bomb in their lap.”
McEnany bristled at how people believe Trump wants to use internment camps (“That’s not true!”), and she thinks their fear is unwarranted. She kept pushing until Jones snapped at her: “You need to back off! Have a little empathy and understanding for people who are afraid because your candidate is one of the most explosively provocative candidates in the history of our country.”
A few hours earlier, Jones talked with Jake Tapper about how many of his friends are utterly terrified that they will be deported or worse. He did admit how he finds the anti-elite component of Trump’s following to be patriotic, but he cannot stomach the many unsavory undercurrents “marbled” within.