CNN political commentator Van Jones, a longtime fixture on the left, offered unexpected praise for President Donald Trump during Trumps appearance at the rescheduled White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner, before swiftly reverting to form with a sharp critique of Trumps remarks.
During CNNs live coverage, anchor John Berman reminded viewers that the evenings journalism awards would now precede Trumps speech, a reversal from the original April 25 program that was postponed after an attempted assassination of the president. According to the New York Post, Berman underscored the shift by noting, The president was going to speak first, then the awards. So, he could have left, in theory, if he wanted to, before turning to Jones for analysis. This time, hes going to have to sit through and watch awards being given to reporters who report on him, maybe in ways he doesnt like, Berman added. One wonders how he might feel about that.
Jones, who has frequently clashed with Trump and his supporters, surprised many by acknowledging the presidents willingness to remain in the room while journalists who often oppose him were honored. You really do have to give President Trump credit tonight, Jones said, conceding that Trump had defied expectations that he would basically do his thing and run away. Hes not running away, Jones added. Hes going to be there. And maybe someone will have the courage to speak up [against him]. Maybe they wont. But hes putting himself in harms way in that regard.
The dinner itself had been dramatically rescheduled after a gunman breached the security perimeter in an attempt to assassinate Trump, a stark reminder of the heightened political tensions surrounding the president. Trump, undeterred, used his remarks at the gala to rib members of the press and speak candidly about his combative relationship with the media, a dynamic that has long endeared him to conservatives skeptical of legacy outlets.
Once Trump left the podium, however, Jones abandoned his earlier praise and delivered a blistering assessment of the speech, faulting it for tone and substance. I think the worst thing you can say is that it just wasnt funny at all, Jones said. It just wasnt funny. It was mean and small. But you can be mean and small and funny. This was mean and small and not funny.
Jones further argued that Trump squandered an opportunity to address the concerns of ordinary Americans, insisting the president focused too heavily on personal grievances. And he didnt talk about any American besides himself and his enemies, Jones continued. There are people at home who cant figure out how to pay for gas. There are people at home who worry about their nephew whos serving overseas.
Pressing his point, Jones framed the WHCA Dinner as a missed chance for Trump to connect with voters facing real-world struggles, even through humor. Theres people at home who have real problems, who would love to see somebody reflect their reality and maybe make fun of some of their enemies, some of their problems, he said. He missed the entire opportunity to talk to those people.
Joness commentary at the dinner followed a separate, notable intervention in the Democratic Partys internal battles, where he recently distanced himself from the far-left activists increasingly influential in progressive circles. Yes, we want our Democratic Party to be a big tent. But we dont need party poopers. So STOP pooping in the punch bowl and telling us the turds are ice cubes, Jones said on X, in a pointed rebuke of the partys radical flank.
In that same post, Jones condemned the agenda of Democratic Socialists of America-aligned activists, warning that their stances on Hamas, criminal justice and immigration threaten to fracture Democrats even further. Supporting Hamas is not progressive. No police, no prisons, no borders is not progressive. Celebrating the murder of Israeli civilians is not progressive. These ideas are REGRESSIVE, Jones said, drawing a bright line between traditional liberalism and hard-left extremism.
He then sought to reclaim the term progressive from those pushing what he views as destructive, anti-police and open-borders dogmas that alienate mainstream voters. On the other hand, if everybody could see a doctor when they got sick, get a good, free education and breathe clean air would that represent progress? Yes. Those are PROGRESSIVE ideas, Jones added. They are NOT the same thing. And the difference matters.
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