Making an eloquent plea for a little grace
The show: U.S. election coverage, Nov. 9 (CNN, YouTube) The moment: Van Jones’ plea
Sometime after midnight, when it became clear that Donald Trump was going to become the next U.S. president, CNN correspondent Van Jones congratulated Trump supporters. Then he delivered the two most eloquent minutes of this brutal campaign.
“People talked about a miracle,” he said. “I’m hearing about a nightmare. People are putting their children to bed, afraid of breakfast. Muslim friends are texting me, asking should I leave the country. Families of immigrants are terrified tonight.
“This was a rebellion against the elites, true,” he continued. “But it was also something else. This was a whitelash. A whitelash against a changing country, against a black president . . . Donald Trump has a responsibility tonight to reassure people that he is going to be the president of all the people he insulted and offended and brushed aside . . . This is a deeply painful moment.”
At the bitter, limping end, what was remarkable was how quiet it was. Pundits on both sides were stunned. On ABC, George Stephanopoulos strained to stay neutral, aging before our eyes. On CNN, Anderson Cooper asked Trump’s surrogates, “What do you think, will he build the wall now? Will he lock up Hillary Clinton?” No one even tried to answer.
As he was throughout the campaign, Jones was a steady voice of reason. When Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s ex-campaign manager, tried his trademark indignant sputter that Clinton didn’t address the nation, Jones told him to knock it off. “You won,” he said. “Now is the time for a little grace.” Here’s hoping that’s not an impossible dream. Johanna Schneller is a media connoisseur who zeroes in on pop-culture moments. She usually appears Monday through Thursday.