‘Character Matters’: Emotional Van Jones Says America Can Breathe Again After Trump Loses

Last updated on July 18th, 2023 at 12:20 pm

Following Joe Biden being declared the president-elect by most major news agencies, CNN‘s Van Jones delivered an emotional response on live television, calling it “a good day for this country.”

“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,” he said, tearing up at multiple points.

“I just want my sons to look at this, look at this. It’s easy to do it the cheap way and get away with stuff, but it comes back around,” Van Jones said. “This is good day for this country.”

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Van Jones said:

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. Character matters. It matters. Telling the truth matters. Being a good person matters. And it’s easier for a whole lot of people. If you’e Muslim in this country, you don’t have to worry that the president doesn’t want you here. If you’re an immigrant, you don’t have to worry if the president’s going to be happy to have babies snatched away or send dreamers back for no reason. This is vindication fo ra lot of people who have really suffered. “I can’t breathe.” You know, that wasn’t just George Floyd, that was a lot of people that felt they couldn’t breathe. Everyday you’re waking up, 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 and 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 spent 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 and to have a chance for a reset. And the character of a country matters. And being a good man matters. I just want my sons to look at this, look at this. It’s easy to do it the cheap way and get away with stuff, but it comes back around. It comes back around. And this is good day for this country.

Character still matters in the United States of America

One of the central questions at the heart of this election was whether or not character still matters when it comes to the people we elect to higher office.

For four years, Donald Trump has swaggered around the White House without any decency or regard for Democratic norms. He is dishonest, corrupt and incompetent.

The historic election of Joe Biden doesn’t just show that character does still matter in the United States of America. But it will, as Van Jones said, allow so many more Americans to breathe a sigh of relief.

This is a good day for the United States.

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Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.