CNN contributor and political activist Van Jones made comments on that show last night reflecting what many in the U.S. are feeling about Donald Trump’s presidential election victory.
Jones began by graciously congratulating conservative pundit and constant sparring partner Jeffrey Lord on the Republican candidate’s win, pointing out that, “When you outdo expectations, good for you.” He then switched gears to give a voice to parents on the polar opposite side of Trump supporters, saying “There’s another side to this–people have talked about a miracle, but I’m hearing about a nightmare(…)you have people putting children to bed tonight and they’re afraid of breakfast, they’re afraid of how do I explain this to my children.”
He acknowledged the profound dismay of embattled Muslims and immigrants, stating, “I have Muslim friends texting me tonight saying, “Should I leave the country?” I have families of immigrants who are terrified tonight.
Moving on, he emphasized the role of racism in the outcome of the election. “This was many things,” he said. “This was a rebellion against the elites, true (…)but it was also something else. This was a whitelash– this was a whitelash against a changing country, a whitelash against a black president, in part, and that’s the part where the pain comes.”
He concluded by commenting on the president-elect’s obligation to begin to heal the divisions he exploited, and lead the nation. “Donald Trump has a responsibility tonight to reassure people that he is going to be president of (everyone) he insulted, and offended, and brushed aside.” He added, “If you say you want to take your country back you’ve got a lot of people who say they haven’t been represented well either. But we dont want to feel that (he’s) been elected by throwing away some of us to appeal more deeply to others.”