“The View” co-hosts Sunny Hostin and Ana Navarro confronted CNN’s Van Jones over his supposed flip-flopping between supporting and criticizing former President Donald Trump during an episode that aired on Friday, Feb. 5.
Jones, a Democrat, was a guest on the show discussing the upcoming documentary “The Reunited States,” which he co-produced with “The View” co-host Meghan McCain.
During the interview, Hostin and Navarro called Jones out for his seemingly conflicting political statements about Trump.
“Now, Van, you do spend a lot of time threading the middle and trying to unite people,” Sunny Hostin began. “But there are those who accuse you of being a political opportunist — a chameleon, so to speak — who provided racial cover for former disgraced, twice-impeached President Trump.”
Hostin then quoted Jones’ defensive comments about Trump, in which he said the former president has done “good stuff for the Black community.” She also quoted Jones saying he thinks Trump doesn’t get “enough credit.”
Hostin then contrasted that sentiment with comments Jones made after President Joe Biden won the election in November.
“Yet just recently you cried on CNN when Joe Biden was elected the 46th president, and you said it’s easier to be a parent now, character matters now, truth matters,” she continued. “You even mentioned George Floyd and said a lot of people felt they couldn’t breathe. People in the Black community don’t trust you anymore. What is your response?”
Jones said Hostin had taken his positive comments about Trump out of context and said the reason why Trump hasn’t gotten credit for some positive actions is because they have been drowned out by all of the “horrific” things he’s done.
Jones went on to say that he has dedicated his life to bringing people together to solve difficult problems and that by working with Republicans at the state and federal level, including the Trump administration, he has contributed to getting bipartisan bills passed, and helped get thousands of people released from jails and prisons during the pandemic under compassionate relief.
He said it’s important to look at “result over rhetoric.”
At one point, McCain jumped in to defend Jones. “I want to say you have been such a life raft to me, and given me so much hope to live in the spirit of how my dad taught me to,” she said. “A lot of people come up to me almost hourly saying, ‘I loved your dad, I loved your dad, I loved your dad, we need more like him.’ Well, do you know what he did? He made hard choices and he was bipartisan, and he saw the good in people.”
That wasn’t enough for Navarro who also criticized Jones for his inconsistency.
“Sunny is right. You’ve lost a lot of people who trusted you and saw you as you as a voice because of the positions you took during Trump.” She pointed out that Jones went from being a major critic of Trump, to taking pictures with his allies, including Candace Owens and Eric Trump.
“How did that evolution happen? How did you go from being this very principled critic of the Trump administration, as I was, to all of a sudden being in the White House celebrating with them and posing for pictures with Candace Owens?”
Jones denied there had been an evolution, and said he was working with Republicans like former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich — who resigned from Congress under an ethics cloud in 1999 — under the Obama administration as well.
On social media, the reactions were swift and kept coming for most of the day Friday with many applauding the co-hosts. “You can tell Sunny hit a nerve with that question for Van Jones,” shared one person on Twitter.
Owens also jumped in the fray, accusing the women of “The View” of being obsessed with her. “Van Jones and I smiled together in a picture at a bi-partisan event attended by both Republicans and Democrats for the First Step Act— prison reform. The women of #TheView are taking their obsession with me to new heights.”
Van Jones and Meghan McCain’s new documentary debuts on Tuesday, Feb. 9.
