Van Jones Warns Political Class is “Way Off” After Election
CNN’s Van Jones expressed his concerns about the disconnect between the political class and the general public, stating that the entire political class is “way off” when it comes to connecting with voters. He made these comments during a panel discussion at The New York Times’ Dealbook Summit.
Jones, a former advisor to former President Barack Obama, argued that President-elect Donald Trump better understood the digital sphere and the current issues facing men in the country than Democrats during the election. He pointed out that Trump and his running mate JD Vance appeared on many podcasts in the final weeks of their campaign, including Joe Rogan’s, which garnered over 50 million views on YouTube.
Jones also noted that his son’s list of most influential people in the culture included streamers and podcasters, such as Kai Cenat and Adin Ross, who have massive followings on social media and streaming platforms. He expressed worry that these fringe voices are now mainstream and mainstream media outlets, such as CNN, cannot compete with their reach.
“The mainstream has become fringe and the fringe has become mainstream,” Jones said. “There are platforms, there are people out there that are getting 14 million streams and we’re on cable news getting one to two million.”