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Home / World

US election: CNN commentator Van Jones breaks down in tears after Biden win

NZ Herald
7 Nov, 2020 07:11 PM4 mins to read

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'Well it's easier to be a parent this morning' - Van Jones breaks down on CNN in reaction to Biden's victory. Video / CNN

CNN commentator Van Jones could not hold back the emotion as he spoke to host Anderson Cooper after the announcement that Joe Biden will be the new President of the United States.

In a segment that has gone viral, an emotional Jones reacted to the news the Democrat candidate had won the election.

"It's easier to be a parent this morning, it's easier to be a dad. It's easier to tell your kids 'character matters, being a good person matters'," he said, through tears.

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"It's easier for a whole lot of people," Jones continued, wiping away the tears.

"If you are 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 if the President is going to be happy to have babies snatched away or send dreamers back for no reasons," he added.

"It's a vindication for a lot of people who have really suffered. You know, 'I can't breathe' - that wasn't just George Floyd. That was a lot of people have felt they couldn't breathe.

"Every day you're waking up and you're getting these tweets and you just don't know, and you're going to the store and people who have been afraid to show their racism are getting nastier and nastier to you," he described while crying.

"You're worried about your kids and you're worried about your sister and can she just go to Walmart and get back into her car without somebody saying something to her. And you're spending so much of your life energy just trying to hold it together."

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Jones said this was "a big deal" for people "just to be able to get some peace and have a chance for a reset".

"The character of the country matters and being a good man matters," he added.

"I just want my sons to look at this you know, it's easy to do it the cheat way and get away with stuff but it comes back around, it comes back around. This is a good day 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."

Video of Jones' comment has gone viral on social media, with thousands of people commenting on how they relate to the feelings he describes.

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Man, this. pic.twitter.com/h2JKEtI2c4

— Timothy Burke (@bubbaprog) November 7, 2020

“You spend so much of your life energy just trying to hold it together. And this is a big deal. For us just to be able to get some peace.”

Van Jones reacts after CNN projected Joe Biden as the winner of the presidential election. https://t.co/HO9WG1KPLh pic.twitter.com/BOeTBFJl4i

— CNN (@CNN) November 7, 2020

This be is how I, and so many parents, have felt for four years. This is a day of hope that we can work together to make our children’s world a better place for everyone. ❤️

If you haven’t seen it yet, this is a must watch. Thank you, @VanJones68. https://t.co/Ga6TV76VYb

— Sheryl Crow (@SherylCrow) November 7, 2020

If anyone ever asks you whether elections, voting and democracy matters, ask them to watch this video. https://t.co/3VLVK9YGLI

— Grant Robertson (@grantrobertson1) November 7, 2020

Van, thank you for expressing the sorrow and relief that we all feel. My hope is that those who hoped for a different outcome will take a moment to empathize with the pain so many of us have felt over the past four years. pic.twitter.com/eqL1szT1Iz

— Michelle Obama (@MichelleObama) November 7, 2020
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