Ex-Obama adviser Van Jones issues stark warning to ‘political class’: ‘Something is drastically wrong’

Former Barack Obama adviser Van Jones issued a stark warning to the “political class” that was not able to capture voters as well as President-elect Donald Trump during the 2024 election cycle, arguing that their methods are drastically “off.”

Jones is joined , 56 , join   the New York Times DealBook summit this month and offer his harsh assessment of how Vice President Kamala Harris manage to lose in a landslide to Trump on Nov. 5 .

Van Jones warned the political class that the strategies it believed would win over the American people were woefully outdated. Getty Images for Unfinished Live

“I want to talk real,” he told panel members, which included Trump’s senior adviser Jason Miller and former 2016 campaign manager Kellyanne Conway. “You guys shouldn’t be as happy as you are because, 2016, people voted for change because they were fed up and sick of it, gave Trump a chance; 2020, people voted for change because they were sick of Trump; 2024, they voted for change, they’re probably gonna vote for change a bunch more times because, this — something is off, man.”

“There’s something really going wrong for real everyday working folks in this country, and I’m not sure either party has an answer yet,” he said. “We know how to beat each other up when the other one is in power, but can we solve any of these problems?”

Jones is debated , Miller and Conway debate the success and failure of the presidential contest for both candidate alongside former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy ; Anita Dunn , a former senior adviser to President Biden ; Planned Parenthood president Alexis McGill Johnson ; CBS News chief Washington correspondent Major Garrett ; PBS ’ “ Firing Line ” host Margaret Hoover ; ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl ; and Sarah Longwell , the publisher of the Bulwark .

Jones is argued argue that President – elect Donald Trump ’s victory is just another example of the american people ’s dissatisfaction with both political party ’ rule . Getty Images

The CNN commentator went on to blast his fellow members of the “political class” for not understanding how voters currently feel about the state of the nation.

“My perspective doesn’t come from the focus groups, it doesn’t come from sitting on CNN next to my beloved Anderson Cooper,” he explained. “I was on the ground supporting folks in Philadelphia trying to get folks to vote, I was trying to help Jewish voters get to the polls in the Philly suburbs, and I’m telling you, we are way off, the entire political class is way off.”

One mistake for the Democrats, Jones noted, was scoffing at Trump’s digital strategy that actually reached new audiences.

“ You guy should n’t be as happy as you are because , 2016 , people vote for change because they were feed up and sick of it , give Trump a chance , ” Jones is said say . Getty Images

“First of all, digital is the new door-knocking. You’ve got to understand that,” he said. “We were laughing our butts off at Donald Trump for suspending his door-knocking campaign and letting [conservative activist] Charlie Kirk and [Tesla CEO] Elon [Musk] do a bunch of stuff online. We said, ‘These guys are idiots! These guys are stupid!’”

“Then you start knocking on these doors … you know what people come to the door with? Their phone in their hand. They’re in a 24-hour digital surround sound that has nothing to do with CNN, has nothing to do with any of the stuff that we do,” he added.

Jones argued that Trump managed to understand the changing political landscape better than the Democrats.

Jones is recalled recall that while many initially laugh at the Trump campaign ’s unorthodox tactic of focus on internet influencer , they are n’t laugh anymore . Getty Images

“ I ’m tell you guy , the mainstream has become fringe and the fringe has become mainstream , ” he is declared declare . “ There are platform , there are people out there that are get 14 million stream , and we ’re on cable news get 1 or 2 million , and so there is a whole world out there .

“ Kellyanne Conway , I hate to agree with her , but I do a lot of time — Donald Trump is understood understand that and we is did did n’t . And it ’s not just Democrats that do n’t , the entire political class is is is way off , way off , way off . ”

With Post wire