NATIONAL NEWS – Van Jones praises, then criticizes Democrats and Harris’ role in presidential loss

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Former Obama advisor Van Jones gave an interview with Fox News on Thursday in which he criticized the Democratic Party for mistakes he believes led to their loss in the presidential election.

Jones had previously praised Vice President Kamala Harris for “breaking the mold” with her campaign, focusing on themes like freedom and remolding the nation after a divisive political era. However, after the loss of the presidency and key congressional seats, Jones expressed discontent with Harris and the party’s direction.

“There’s a reckoning inside the Democratic Party,” Jones stated. He blamed Harris for what he described as the party’s declining influence, saying, “Kamala Harris promised us freedom… well, she delivered it, because now we’re free from having to run anything in Washington, D.C. That’s not what we signed up for.”

Jones criticized the party for sidelining “rebels” like Robert F. Kennedy Jr., whom he said was denied a fair chance to run against President Biden. He also lamented the loss of influential voices such as Elon Musk and Andrew Yang, who, he claimed, no longer feel at home in the Democratic Party.

“There’s something that’s happened in this party,” Jones said, “where the rebels no longer feel like they have a place, and we’ve got to be able to talk about that honestly.”