CNN’s Van Jones chokes up on talking about Trump’s ‘nightmare’ victory

When Donald Trump was on the brink of victory on Wednesday morning, CNN commentator said From Jones became emotional as he spoke about the fear and pain that many of Kamala Harris’ supporters felt after she lost the presidency. In a choked voice, Jones reflected on the “pain” experienced by black women who ran for the vice president.

“I think about the people who are not part of anyone’s elite and who are hurting tonight,” Jones said. “There are African-American women who know a little bit about being talked down to, and a little bit of a sense of how their economic dreams are being crushed, who have spent the last few months trying to dream a big dream. And tonight they trade a lot of hope for a lot of pain. They hoped that maybe this time… this time – one of them could be considered worthy.”

Jones has served as something of a proxy for blue state sentiment during CNN’s recent election sessions. A former adviser to the Obama administration, the 2016 activist and commentator expressed raw emotions when it became clear that Trump would take a first term over then-candidate Hillary Clinton. “This was a white lash against a changing country,” he said at the time. “It was partly a white whip against a black president, and that’s the part where the pain comes.” At the time, he urged Trump to “…come out and reassure people that he will be the president of all the people he has insulted, insulted and cast aside.”

In 2024, he made a similar plea for the winners to take into account the people who supported the loser. “And once again they face rejection, and it hurts,” Jones added. “They thought that tomorrow morning they would be able to walk out with their shoulders back, maybe breathe for the first time, and feel like they belonged somewhere. They have done everything they can do and it is going to be harder than it should be for them to keep their heads up.”

Jones spotlighted other groups, such as members of the LGBTQ community and undocumented immigrants, who have been targeted by Trump and his campaign during the race for the White House, while highlighting the sense of shock felt in certain corners of the country was felt.

“If you are a parent of a transgender child, your child’s face was used as a springboard to power for someone,” Jones said. “That doesn’t feel good. There will be people there tomorrow, we will hand out clothes at the dry cleaners to people who have no papers. Tomorrow there will be people brushing your teeth who have no papers. And they will be terrified tonight.”

“It’s easy to blow this off and say, ‘Oh, the elites, they’re going to get their comeuppance,’” Jones said. “It’s not the elites who are going to pay the price. These are the people who woke up this morning with a dream and went to bed with a nightmare.”