President Donald Trump signs the Historically Black Colleges and Universities HBCU Executive Order, Tuesday, Feb. 28, 2017, in the Oval Office in the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
In a very telling interview, CNN contributor Van Jones tried to warn Democrats that Donald Trump just "sent a warning shot over the bow" letting them know that he's coming "after the black vote." But what he also said is that it will work, terrifying Democrats everywhere who have relied on the black voter block for everything.
Jones has supported the president's criminal justice reform, which affects many in the black community. It's extremely interesting to hear Jones say that Trump's message is "you may not like my rhetoric but look at my results. If he narrowcasts that it's going to be effective." Does it strike you as somewhat unreal that Democrats are worried about the fact that Trump is helping minorities? You would think they'd be thrilled about that, considering they claim to be the party for minorities. But perhaps even their staunchest defenders, like Jones, are discovering that Democrats love to talk about helping people while Trump is creating policies that are actually helping people.
Jones strikes me as a reasonable person. When is he going to realize that his party never actually helps anyone, but is full of empty rhetoric? He needs to get on the Trump Train. Mike Gallagher, radio talker, noticed it too. "There's something interesting about Van Jones. He has acknowledged criminal justice reform, he has acknowledged Trump's outreach to the African American community, he has acknowledged historic unemployment in the black community and last night he did it again."
Jones called out the "bubble" that Democrats live in, where they don't see Trump's positive results within minority communities. Gallagher continued, "Now I understand the rhetoric he has to use is 'going after black voters' [but Trump is] lifting African Americans up out of poverty, out of joblessness, out of low wages and Van Jones is acknowledging it. If Democrats don't hold onto their normal percentage of the black vote, it's over. They can't win." The only question remaining is why is Van Jones still a Democrat? What's more important: talking about helping black people or actually helping them? Donald Trump has shown that his policies are creating higher-paying jobs, ending joblessness, and taking big steps toward equal justice under the law. What's not to love about that if you are a black American? Remind me what the Democrats have done for minorities besides let their neighborhoods be overrun with crime, drugs, and illegal gangsters.
Watch below and see Ghallager's comments and Jone's remarks on CNN.
The following report on the criminal justice reforms that Trump signed into law should give you some idea of how popular and needed this reform is. The bill shortened sentences for non-violent offenders who exhibit good behavior, expanded programs to help prisoners readjust to life outside and get jobs, expanded rehab programs and much more. This is not just an empty bill, but one that is impacting tens of thousands of people in minority communities right now. Democrats have never made criminal justice reform a priority. Trump and Republicans did.
Megan Fox is the author of “Believe Evidence; The Death of Due Process from Salome to #MeToo,” and host of The Fringe podcast. Follow on Twitter @MeganFoxWriter
