Election night didn’t seem to sit well with CNN’s Van Jones, who couldn’t hide his obvious discomfort as the votes rolled in and showed former President Donald Trump making a major comeback. For those who remember 2016, it was déjà vu—a replay of the same liberal media unraveling that followed Hillary Clinton’s defeat.
The media meltdown started early. Jones, visibly upset, tried to capture what he imagined was the emotional toll on African-American women who had pinned their hopes on Kamala Harris. “There are African-American women who know a little bit about being talked down to,” he lamented, referencing the past few months where he claimed they had allowed themselves to “dream big.” According to Jones, that dream had quickly turned into “a lot of hurt.”
“They thought tomorrow morning they’d walk out with their shoulders back a little bit,” Jones continued, seeming close to tears. “Maybe able to breathe for the first time.” But, as he explained, they’d put their faith in a campaign that had apparently let them down. In a final statement that could have come straight from a Hollywood drama, Jones said, “It’s not the elites that are going to pay the price. It’s people who woke up this morning with a dream and are going to bed with a nightmare.”
Meanwhile, even the former White House Press Secretary weighed in, raising questions about the Democrats’ decision to nominate Harris. There’s no doubt her election loss will prompt quite a bit of head-scratching among party leaders. Lester Holt didn’t miss the chance to ask if they might be regretting their choice, wondering aloud if things might have turned out differently with Joe Biden at the top of the ticket.
Psaki’s response was a carefully worded “it depends,” leaving the door wide open for post-election blame-shifting within the Democratic ranks. She pointed out that Harris’s 107-day campaign would certainly be scrutinized, a clear hint that Democrats may be wondering what happened to their usual strategy. Her comments suggested a storm of frustration brewing within the party, with Harris’s rushed and unconventional campaign being called into question.
And over at CNN, Jake Tapper didn’t mince words when he reluctantly acknowledged Trump’s triumph. Calling it “the greatest comeback in history,” Tapper even tried to reach for a historical comparison, mentioning Richard Nixon but admitting it “falls short” of Trump’s achievement. In Tapper’s words, Trump’s victory was nothing short of a political phenomenon, one that left both the Democrats and their media allies grasping for explanations.
