On Tuesday, CNN’s Dana Bash filled in on Anderson Cooper 360 and gave Van Jones a second chance to praise Minnesota Governor Tim Walz as Kamala Harris’s vice president choice. Earlier in the day, Jones claimed that Walz was picked to appeal to “anti-Jewish bigots” among Democrats. This time around, Jones described Walz as “young” and “fresh” before Bash introduced new Harris/Walz campaign "merch."
Bash began the segment by seemingly hinting at the social media firestorm Jones was embroiled in by hinting he was “not so sure about Walz” at first.
She also mentioned that there “were Republicans who were worried about Josh Shapiro” getting picked as Harris’s running mate. Jones responded that Republicans “were not scared of Governor Walz. But they should be.”
Jones continued by claiming he was hearing a lot of bipartisan praise for Walz: “I've heard from my most conservative friends and my most liberal friends and even my radical friends -- everybody is like this guy is amazing because he talks like a normal person about stuff that people really care about and its effective.”
Jones described the 60-year-old governor as “young, and exciting, and fresh, and new.” He then went on a rampage about how “uniting” Harris has been to the Democratic Party:
The other thing is that Kamala Harris has managed to do something without relying on Donald Trump to do it. She has united this party. We used to say that the only thing to unite this party is Donald Trump. She's not talking about Donald Trump. She's talking about a future you can believe in. She's giving people hope.
Jones decided to point out that Harris “picked somebody [who] does not look like her and from where she’s from.” He called this an “unbelievable feeling that's sweeping through the country and Donald Trump is scared and he should be.”
Bash decided to end this segment by announcing new Harris/Walz campaign “merch.” Unsurprisingly excited, she exclaimed: “I want to show our viewers something that our colleague Josh Campbell just pointed out to me and I believe we have it, it's new merch.”
The merch Bash shared was a “blaze orange” camo hat. She reminded everybody that blaze orange is “a color used by hunters for safety purposes” and quickly added on “that's what Tim Walz is.”
“He is a hunter and the fact that that is one of the first things that they are selling that tells you a lot about the way that they are trying to get the white men,” Bash concluded.
Click "Expand" to view the transcript:
CNN Anderson Cooper 360
8/6/2024
8:13:28 – 8:15:41 PMDANA BASH: Van, you were not so sure about Walz. You were -- you can tell me if I'm not characterizing your – your position this morning, right. I'm sure you will and because there were Republicans who thought –
VAN JONES: Yeah look –
BASH: -- Josh Shapiro –
JONES: The Republicans were --
BASH: -- or who were worried about Josh Shapiro.
JONES: The Republicans were scared of Josh Shapiro. Republicans were scared of Mark Kelly. They were not scared of Governor Walz, but they should be. They should be because what you just saw tonight was extraordinary.This was somebody -- I've heard from my most conservative friends and my most liberal friends and even my radical friends. Everybody is like this guy is amazing because he talks like a normal person about stuff that people really care about and its effective.
And to David's point, Trump was ready to go with strength versus weakness. I'm strong, Biden's weak, give me the job. This is not that. This is old, and sorry, and pathetic, and boring, and doom, and gloom versus young, and exciting, and fresh, and new. And that's a different fight. It's the past versus the future. It is a completely different fight.
The other thing is that Kamala Harris has managed to do something without relying on Donald Trump to do it. She has united this party. We used to say that the only thing to unite this party is Donald Trump. She's not talking about Donald Trump. She's talking about a future you can believe in. She's giving people hope. She picked somebody looks– does not look like her and from where she's from, and they fit together like Legos. It is an unbelievable feeling that's sweeping through the country and Donald Trump is scared and he should be.
BASH: I want to show our viewers something that our colleague Josh Campbell just pointed out to me and I believe we have it, it's new 'merch'.JONES: New merch?
BASH: All the campaigns get 'merch' up -- really quickly. But this in particular as, Josh is pointing out, is in orange, blaze orange. It's a color used by hunters for safety purposes. And that's what Tim Walz is. He is a hunter and the fact that that is one of the first things that they are selling that tells you a lot about the way that they are trying to get the white men.
