Former Obama adviser Van Jones has delivered a brutal assessment of why the Democratic Party failed during last month’s election and credited the political savvy of Donald Trump that has left his critics in the dust.
Speaking with former CNN reporter Chris Cillizza on his YouTube channel, Jones didn’t hold back, declaring: ‘Donald Trump is not an idiot. Let me just be very clear. Donald Trump is smarter than me, you, and all of his critics.’
Jones outlined why Trump’s dominance is undeniable: ‘You know how I know? Because he has the White House, the Senate, the House, the Supreme Court, the popular vote.’
He pointed to the vast media and grassroots support surrounding Trump, coupled with his alliances with figures like billionaire Elon Musk and members of the Kennedy family.
‘He has a massive media ecosystem bigger than the mainstream, built around him and for him, and a religious fervor in a political movement around him,’ Jones explained.
‘His best buddy is the richest person in the history of the world, and the most relevant Kennedy is with him.’
Jones contrasted Trump’s strategic success with the perceived failures of the Democratic Party.
Jones did not hold back in his assessment: ‘We’re the idiots. We lost. So we have to go back in the locker room and we have to sit down and figure out how in the hell did we get beat. And when you look at it closely, it’s the arrogance, it’s the elitism, it’s not respecting people, it’s not listening to people.’
The longtime progressive activist argued that Democrats have alienated potential allies and allowed their coalition to fracture.
Jones pointed out how it is high-profile figures like RFK Jr., Elon Musk, and Joe Rogan, who once leaned Democratic who have since shifted away from the party and its ideals.
‘RFK was a rebel inside of our party, he wanted to run against Joe Biden fair and square, the DNC wouldn’t let him, pushed him out,’ Jones said.
‘Don’t forget Elon Musk was an Andrew Yang Democrat four years ago – he’s out. Joe Rogan was very favorable toward Michelle Obama, he was a Bernie guy – he’s out. Something’s happened in this party where the rebels no longer feel like they have a place, and we’ve got to be able to talk about that stuff honestly.
‘When Joe Rogan interviews Donald Trump, 48 million people will watch. More than watched the debates. The Democrats had the wrong analysis. They didn’t even have the conceptual framework to understand what was happening,’ Jones said.
Jones also took aim at Vice President Kamala Harris, delivering a sarcastic jab about her leadership. ‘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 were signing up for, but it’s what we got.’
While critical of Harris, Jones saved his sharpest rebuke for President Joe Biden, saying his decision to seek re-election cost the party dearly.
‘I love Joe Biden. Joe Biden picked me out of the puppy pile and gave me a chance to work with you guys. I love him. He should have walked away and let other people in this party step up to the bat. He didn’t, and we paid the price.’
The ex-Obama adviser urged Democrats to reflect deeply on their failures and return to listening to the American people.
‘The Democrats have been sitting in an anti-Trump bunker for years, just watching him through the periscope. Meanwhile, Trump was out there connecting with voters. We’ve stopped being a progressive party. We’ve just become an anti-Trump coalition—and we failed.’
Jones ended with a sobering reminder of the party’s need to engage meaningfully with those who disagree: ‘We have to stop feeding what we’re fighting. We don’t like intolerance? Then we can’t become what we’re fighting against.
‘Can we assume maybe we don’t know every damn thing? Can we assume we need each other? That’s the path forward.’
