Van Jones couldn’t hold back tears of relief for his kids and the ‘Muslims’, ‘immigrants’ and other people who have ‘suffered’ in the U.S. under a Trump administration, after Democratic nominee Joe Biden was named president on Nov. 7.
Van Jones, 52, had a touching, emotional moment during CNN‘s live coverage of the presidential election on the morning of Nov. 7, when he openly wept on-air after Democratic nominee Joe Biden, 77, was named the next President of the United States. Biden was finally declared the country’s 46th president, defeating President Donald Trump, 74, after it took over three days of counting votes to confirm the win, and Van called the victory day a “good” one that made it “easier to be a dad.”
“Well, it’s easier to be a parent this morning, it’s easier to be a dad,” he said, before choking up. “It’s easier to tell your kids character matters, it matters.”
Van stopped for a moment to try and regain his composure as he felt himself getting emotional, but eventually let himself go on through tears. “Tell them the truth matters. Being a good person matters. And it’s easier for a lot of people,” he said while sobbing. “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.”
Van, who has worked with the Trump administration on criminal justice reform, went on to call Biden’s win “vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered,” and brought up some of the late George Floyd‘s words, “I can’t breathe”. “That wasn’t just George Floyd, that was a lot of people have felt that they couldn’t breathe,” he explained before going on to say, “This is a big deal for us just to be able to get some peace and have a chance for a reset. And the character of the country matters and being a good man matters.”
Van concluded by mentioning his sons and coming back around to his first comment about it being “a good day.” “I just want my sons to look at this. It’s easy to do it the cheap way and get away with stuff, but it comes back around,” he said. “It comes back around and it’s a good thing for this country. I’m sorry for the people who lost, for them it’s not a good day. But for a whole lot of people it’s a good day.”
Van’s network, CNN, called Biden’s win in the 2020 presidential election after Saturday’s vote counts for the key battleground state of Pennsylvania pushed him over a half-point lead. At the time the news broke, he was also leading in other battleground states, including Georgia and Nevada. Biden’s win and lead in these states is not the only way he’s making history. His running mate, Senator Kamala Harris, 56, who is now the Vice President-elect of the U.S., also makes history as America’s first female, first Black, and first South Asian vice president-elect.