Van Jones on Trump: ‘This was a white-lash against a changing country’
As Donald Trump inched closer to the presidency Tuesday night, Democratic commentator and former Obama administration staffer Van Jones offered an emotional analysis of what a potential Trump victory would mean for many parents in America.
“You tell your kids, don’t be a bully. You tell your kids, don’t be a bigot. You tell your kids, do your homework and be prepared,” Jones said on CNN. “Then you have this outcome, and you have people putting children to bed tonight. They’re afraid of breakfast. They’re afraid of ‘how do I explain this to my children.’”
Referring to the Republican presidential nominee’s anti-immigrant platform, including his proposed ban on Muslim travel to the U.S., Jones said, “I have Muslim friends who are texting me tonight saying, ‘Should I leave the country?’ I have families of immigrants that are terrified tonight.”
Yes, Jones continued, Trump’s campaign was “a rebellion against the elites” as well as “a complete reinvention of politics and polls.” But, he insisted, it’s impossible to talk about this election without acknowledging the role race played in it.
“This was a white-lash,” he said. “This was a white-lash against a changing country. It was a white-lash against a black president in part, and that’s the part where the pain comes.”
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