Van Jones moved to tears after Biden wins election: ‘This is a good day’
'It’s easier to be a parent this morning, it’s easier to be a dad,' Van Jones said in a Saturday appearance on CNN
Political commentator Van Jones appeared on CNN Saturday to react to the news that former Vice President Joe Biden has been projected as the winner of the presidential election.
As Jones began to speak on what a Biden win means to the country, he began to get emotional and broke down in tears.
“It’s easier to be a parent this morning, it’s easier to be a dad,” Jones said. “It’s easier to tell your kids character matters. It matters. Tell them the truth matters. Being a good person matters.”
The CNN contributor was choked up throughout his comments, referring to being able to convey to young people that you can be president without resorting to exclaiming falsehoods, as President Donald Trump has done during his one-and-only term.
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Jones continued to speak, talking about how immigrants have been negatively treated and spoken of by Trump and his administration. Of the biggest examples include the hundreds of children separated from their families at the Mexican border and Trump’s 2017 travel ban, which targeted countries with large Muslim populations.
Jones broke down as he conveyed relief that such behavior may no longer be an issue under a Biden presidency.
“And it’s easier for a lot of people. If you’re Muslim in this country, you don’t have to worry if the president doesn’t want you here. If you’re an immigrant, you don’t have to worry about your babies being snatched away or send DREAMers back for no reason. It’s vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered,” said Jones, who served briefly in the Obama administration.
Jones went on to speak of the civil unrest plaguing the nation under Trump’s watch and the administration’s condemnation of the Black Lives Matter movement.
“’I can’t breathe.’ That wasn’t just George Floyd. A lot of people have felt they couldn’t breathe,” Jones stated as tears rolled down his face. “Every day you’re waking up and getting tweets, and you’re going to the store and people who have been afraid to show their racism are getting nastier and nastier to you. And you’re worried about your kids, and you’re worried about your sister, can she just go to Walmart and get back into her car without somebody saying something to her.”
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Jones mentioned his sons, saying that Biden’s win against Trump serves as a reminder that being honest will win in the long run.
“I just want my sons to look at this,” Jones said. “It’s easy to do it the cheap way, and get away with stuff. But it comes back around. It comes back around. And this is a good day for this country.”
He ended by acknowledging the citizens that voted for and supported Trump during the election.
“I’m sorry for the people who lost,” Jones stated. “For them, it’s not a good day. But for a whole lot of people, it’s a good day.”
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