In what seemed like an encore presentation of his praise for President Donald Trump’s new tone, CNN commentator Van Jones rang the alarm bells for his fellow liberals to warn them that they needed to take Trump seriously now. During Wednesday’s Anderson Cooper 360, he explained that so far the Democrats plan is “to put him on trial about protocol about politeness,” but cautioned that “He has run a movement based on pride and prosperity. It's a completely different appeal.”
“I think the liberals are doing this thing of saying, ‘We are going to put him on trial about protocol and politeness,’” he elaborated, “There's a protocol for talking to journalists and he's not doing it, and for judges and spies and we're going to put him on trial about protocol about politeness.”
Jones laid out how the liberals were too busy obsessing over protesting Trump for being rude while intendants were moving closer to him. He warned liberals at if they didn’t come up with something to counter his “pride and prosperity” movement, then they were in danger of having the rug pulled out from under them:
So then the liberals are going to get beaten not just because we can't compete with him on pride and prosperity, but we can't demonize him on protocol. I've been screaming about Trump for two years. I don't think the liberals can stand him and once again I think liberals are in grave danger of missing the whole plot until it's too late.
According to Jones, the revelation came after traveling across the country after the election to really get to know Trump’s voters. Moderator Anderson Cooper recalled how Trump’s Chief Strategist Steve Bannon once told the media to shut up; “The other thing he said, which didn't get a lot of attention, was that so many people got it wrong during the election that the people in the media need to listen more … I think that's very true.”
Jones also touted Trump’s ability to evolve as a speaker. He joked that there used to be two Trumps: a Twitter Trump and a teleprompter Trump and neither one of them were that good. “You now have a third Trump in performance and that was an actual passable Presidential Trump. The speech was not the carnage and whatever. It was uplifting. He did it well. He did things you haven't seen him do,” he admitted.
“So here's the thing. As a Democrat, when you see a sudden improvement, you have to take that seriously,” he stated while joking that the “Trump virus” had mutated. He complimented Trump on being able to learn and adapt and commented that liberals were counting on the President “to be some version of a clown or a cartoon villain. And suddenly last night he didn't do it and he looked like a president.”
Only time will tell if the Democrats, and even the liberal media, would change their own tone when it comes to dealing with Trump. But is seemed as though even Jones isn’t holding his breath: “He knows how to do something he did not know how to do before, and the liberals have to take that very, very seriously and they don't want to.”
Transcript below:
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CNN
Anderson Cooper 360
March 1, 2017
8:33:29 PM EasternANDERSON COOPER: Obviously that was a very strong statement you made last night had you some time to think about it. Do you still believe what you said?
VAN JONES: Yeah, absolutely. Listen, you have -- before you had two different Trumps. Had you Twitter Trump who was terrible, and then you had tell prompter Trump which was kind of embarrassingly bad but not always terrible. You now have a third Trump in performance and that was an actual passable Presidential Trump. The speech was not the carnage and whatever. It was uplifting. He did it well. He did things you haven't seen him do. Things that presidents do, like using American stories to advance a narrative.
COOPER: Obviously his referencing could Caryn Owens and the sacrifice of her husband, I mean, that's something many presidents have done before.
JONES: Yes. But for instance having more than one emotion, like raw terror and anger being your only emotion and suddenly he had a different emotional repertoire. So here's the thing. As a Democrat, when you see a sudden improvement, you have to take that seriously. I think Democrats -- I think the virus has mutated. I think that he –
COOPER: The virus being the president.
JONES: The Trump virus, yes. What I would call the Trump virus has mutated and I think that the liberals have been counting on him to every time he presents himself to be some version of a clown or a cartoon villain. And suddenly last night he didn't do it and he looked like a president. Now, that's a low bar, we've had 40 plus presidents some of them were terrible, but he suddenly looked like a president. He knows how to do something he did not know how to do before, and the liberals have to take that very, very seriously and they don't want to.
COOPER: It's interesting though, Steve Bannon made a lot of news when he said in some interviewer that the med media should shut up or close their mouths, whatever it was, stop talking, that got a lot of attention. The other thing he said, which didn't get a lot of attention, was that so many people got it wrong during the election that the people in the media need to listen more.
JONES: Yes.
COOPER: I think that's very true. I think it's something you've been doing a lot going out on the road listening to people with your towns hall, Messy Truth, is that something that – I mean, that seems like an echo of that message to liberals you're saying they need to listen more to what's actually going on out there.
JONES: Hey listen, because of the Messy Truth I've been able to go out there, I've been in all the swing states, I was just out in Arizona. And I'm starting to hear a little bit more of what the people who like Trump get. I think the liberals are doing this thing of saying, “We are going to put him on trial about protocol and politeness.” There's a protocol for talking to journalists and he's not doing it, and for judges and spies and we're going to put him on trial about protocol about politeness.
He is run a movement based on pride and prosperity. It's a completely different appeal. And so that I think creates this -- you know, this mess where the liberals are out there protesting and the independents are moving his way. And then guess what? It's even worse than that. He may take the protocol card away. He may actually start following the protocol. So then the liberals are going to get beaten not just because we can't compete with him on pride and prosperity, but we can't demonize him on protocol. I've been screaming about Trump for two years. I don't think the liberals can stand him and once again I think liberals are in grave danger of missing the whole plot until it's too late.
COOPER: Van Jones, thanks very much.
