On Monday night, CNN’s coverage of the Republican National Convention included liberal commentator and former Obama advisor Van Jones being upset about Donald Trump’s vice president choice, JD Vance. To Jones, this choice was a “horror,” as Vance is an even more “dangerous virus.”
Jones began the segment by describing what a traditional conservative Republican looks like to him: “A traditional conservative Republican would not support an insurrection. A traditional conservative Republican would not say he's going to pardon traitors and treasonous people who attacked our government.”
Jones professed that Vance being Trump's running mate means that Republicans are “cementing a kind of nationalism.” Besides his explanation of Trump being “an instinctive, impulsive, intuitive nationalist,” Jones went on to define Vance as “an ideological nationalist – that’s a much more dangerous virus.”
His reasoning for calling Vance a “virus” was because he “can polish this stuff and make it seem palatable to people. He can sell this stuff to Silicon Valley. He can sell this stuff to other places and what it does is it locks the Republican Party on a pathway that I think is dangerous for the world.”
He went on to complain that Trump “could’ve gone with Nikki Haley,” which would have “signaled to the world ‘hey, listen, I got to give stuff to my base, but I'm not going to abandon the world.’” Jones concluded that “this pick is a horror on the world stage” and Trump is “pointing the Republican Party in a very scary direction for the long term.”
After former Biden advisor Kate Bedingfield chimed in agreement “here, here” to Jones remarks, former Mitch McConnell and George W. Bush advisor Scott Jennings decided to clear some things up for Jones. “Vance is actually running against Kamala Harris -- who not popular. I don't know if you've guys checked the papers today, not popular very unpopular” he stated.
Further, Jennings stated, “The principal reason Biden is still in the race is because no Democrats want Harris to be at the top of the ticket. I think right now, they're afraid of how unpopular she is.”
He concluded “it's not going to make a ton of difference on people's votes, but on the margins, if you wanna discuss the relative popularity and extremism of VPs I’ll take it. I’ll take the debate.”
Unsurprisingly, Jones continued to bash Vance on Tuesday during CNN News Central, repeating, “This is an ideological nationalism. That's, I think, a much more dangerous form of the virus because he can go try and explain this stuff and recruit all these people and make it seem kind of polished and make it seem like it's great.”
So, much for dialing down the heated rhetoric.
Click "Expand" to view the transcript:
CNN Republican National Convention
7/15/2024
4:21:11 – 4:23:28 PM ET
VAN JONES: You know what, I agree with you because a traditional conservative Republican would not support an insurrection. A traditional conservative Republican would not say he's going to pardon traitors and treasonous people who attacked our government. You're correct, he's not, he's worse – he’s worse, he's much worse. But I think, you know, part of the reason that J.D. Vance matters isn't for these, kind of, short-term electoral calculations. He matters because of what he means to the Republican Party long term. This is cementing a kind of nationalism.
Now Trump, to your point I agree with you, he’s an -- he's an instinctive, impulsive, intuitive nationalist. J.D. Vance is an ideological nationalist -- that's a much more dangerous virus because he can make this, he can polish this stuff and make it seem palatable to people. He can sell this stuff to Silicon Valley. He can sell this stuff to other places and what it does is it locks the Republican Party on a pathway that I think is dangerous for the world.
Again, the Ukrainians are now in deep trouble. NATO is now in deep trouble. Trump is – he could’ve gone with Nikki Haley and signaled to the world ‘hey, listen, I got to give stuff to my base, but I'm not going to abandon the world.’
This pick is a horror on the world stage. So, J.D. Vance matters because Donald Trump is pointing the Republican Party in a very scary direction for the long term.
KATE BEDINGFIELD: Here, here.
[Laughter]
SCOTT JENNINGS: Let me -- let me – let me –
VANCE: How do you see it?
JENNINGS: Well, here's how I see it. Number one: the idea that Biden is now running against Vance – Biden is running against Trump and he's currently losing to Trump.
BEDINGFIELD: No, I’m not saying that --
JENNINGS: Vance is actually running against Kamala Harris -- who, not popular. I don't know if you've guys checked the papers today, not popular very unpopular, and so if you want to have a debate about which ticket is more politically nimble, which ticket is more politically palatable right now, I'm not certain that elevating the conversation about well, let's -- let's really focus on the vice presidents is going to help the Democratic Party because I mean, the principal reason Biden is still in the race is because no Democrats want Harris to be at the top of the ticket, I think right now, they're afraid of how unpopular she is.
And so I’m -- I’m -- you know what I think, ultimately, it's not going to make a ton of difference on people's votes, but on the margins if you wanna discuss the relative popularity and extremism of VPs I’ll take it. I’ll take the debate.
