Van Jones

CNN Commentator

Van Jones is a CNN political commentator, regularly appearing across the network's programming and special political coverage.
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Van Jones
Van Jones

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CNN
Van Jones: Going home, I encountered a huge problem
Mar 4, 2024
CNN host Van Jones started his political career in the Tennessee state Capitol, when he says compromise was still possible. Now, says Jones, political polarization is worse than he could have imagined.
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• Video 2:45
Van Jones was ‘prepared to have a big conflict’ with conservative politician. Then he was surprised 2:45
Mar 3, 2024
County Commissioner Matt Shoaf, a conservative member of Tennessee’s Sumner County Constitutional Republicans, tells CNN Political Commentator Van Jones what motivated him to get into politics against fellow Republicans. “What Happened to Tennessee? The Battle of Blue and Red” premieres on “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” on Sunday, March 3 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.
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• Video 1:10
X/Climate Defiance
‘How dare you’: Protester confronts Joe Manchin at Harvard talk 1:10
Mar 2, 2024
Climate protesters confronted Sen. Joe Manchin in a heated exchange during an event at Harvard’s Kennedy School, resulting in a protester being thrown to the ground. CNN’s Van Jones weighs in.
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• Video 1:21
Mothers of school shooting victims blast lawmakers for publicly doing ‘something completely different’ 1:21
Mar 2, 2024
The conservative mothers of Covenant school shooting victims in Nashville, Tennessee talk about pushing for gun reform and their frustrations with state lawmakers. “What Happened to Tennessee? The Battle of Blue and Red” premieres on “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” on Sunday, March 3 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.
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• Video 1:43
Tennessee lawmaker: ‘White supremacy codified in legislation’ 1:43
Mar 1, 2024
Tennessee state representatives Justin Pearson and Justin Jones, two of the “Tennessee Three” tell CNN Political Commentator Van Jones how a leaked audio of their Republican colleagues highlights the divide in their state. “What Happened to Tennessee? The Battle of Blue and Red” premieres on “The Whole Story with Anderson Cooper” on Sunday, March 3 at 8pm ET/PT on CNN.
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Why Van Jones thinks the Supreme Court hearing was ‘frustrating’ 2:33
Feb 8, 2024
CNN political commentator Van Jones weighs in on the Supreme Court’s hearing on former President Donald Trump’s eligibility to appear on Colorado’s ballot.
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CNN
‘Painful’: Van Jones on Nikki Haley’s attempt to clean up Civil War comments 2:02
Jan 5, 2024
CNN political commentator Van Jones reacts after GOP presidential hopeful and former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley spoke about her comments about the Civil War during a CNN town hall.
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• Video 1:26
CNN
‘Shocking’: Van Jones responds to new Trump-Biden poll 1:26
Nov 8, 2023
According to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, former President Donald Trump narrowly leads President Joe Biden, 49% to 45% among registered voters, and among voters of color, men split about evenly, 49% Trump to 46% Biden. CNN’s Van Jones reacts.
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CNN
Van Jones: CNN poll shows what voters are ‘scared’ to say about Biden 2:01
Sep 7, 2023
New CNN polling highlights President Joe Biden’s disapproval rating. CNN political commentator Van Jones explains why the positives in President Biden’s policies aren’t outshining the negatives and how recent polling shows what voters are “scared” to say.
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• Video 1:33
Van Jones reacts to Marjorie Taylor Greene asking if she’d be Trump’s VP 1:33
Aug 17, 2023
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) floated potential cabinet and vice president bids if Donald Trump were to win the presidency, as reported in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. CNN political commentator Van Jones reacts to her statement.
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• Video 1:16
CNN
‘3 slumps you get a Trump’: Van Jones on why voters would pick Trump over Biden 1:16
Aug 3, 2023
CNN political commentator Van Jones reacts to a Washington Post report that former President Obama warned President Biden of Donald Trump’s political strength, and he points out three possible reasons why voters would pick Trump over Biden.
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• Video 2:35
Hear what Van Jones thinks about Black officers charged in Tyre Nichols case 2:35
Jan 29, 2023
CNN political commentator Van Jones discusses the Tyre Nichols case and whether racial bias played a role in the killing.
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Provided by Ben Crump
Opinion: The police who killed Tyre Nichols were Black. But they might still have been driven by racism
Jan 28, 2023
How do we explain Tyre Nichol’s horrific killing, allegedly at the hands of police who looked like him? Van Jones says that at the end of the day, it is the race of the victim who is brutalized – not the race of the violent cop – that is most relevant in determining whether racial bias is a factor in police violence.
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CNN
‘It feels good!’: Van Jones reacts to Warnock’s win 0:59
Dec 7, 2022
CNN Political Commentator Van Jones reacts to Democratic Sen. Raphael Warnock’s win in the Georgia’s runoff.
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Fox/CNN
‘It’s just ridiculous’: Van Jones reacts to Graham’s emotional plea on Fox 3:31
Nov 11, 2022
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made an emotional plea in favor of Republican candidate Herschel Walker on Fox. CNN’s Van Jones and Don Lemon discuss the moment on “CNN This Morning.”
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• Video 3:31
Fox/CNN
‘What are you talking about?’: Van Jones responds to Graham’s emotional plea on Fox 3:31
Nov 11, 2022
Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) made an emotional plea in favor of Republican candidate Herschel Walker on Fox. CNN’s Van Jones and Don Lemon discuss the moment on “CNN This Morning.”

About

Van Jones is a CNN political commentator, regularly appearing across the network’s programming and special political coverage. He has hosted CNN’s The Van Jones Show, The Redemption Project with Van Jones, and The Messy Truth with Van Jones. Jones is also the co-creator of the Emmy Award-winning virtual reality series, The Messy Truth VR Experience.

Jones is the CEO of REFORM Alliance, which launched in January 2019. The mission of the REFORM Alliance is to dramatically reduce the number of people who are unjustly under the control of the criminal justice system – starting with probation and parole. REFORM is backed by a bi-partisan and diverse group of sports, entertainment and business leaders, including award-winning recording artist Meek Mill; Philadelphia 76ers co-owner and Fanatics executive chairman Michael Rubin; entrepreneur and business mogul Shawn “JAY-Z” Carter; Kraft Group CEO and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft; Brooklyn Nets co-owner and philanthropic investor Clara Wu Tsai; Third Point LLC CEO and founder Daniel S. Loeb; Galaxy Digital CEO and founder Michael E. Novogratz; Vista Equity Partners founder, chairman and CEO Robert F. Smith.

Jones has been a leader in the fight for criminal justice reform for more than 25 years. He has founded and led many thriving social enterprises, including the Ella Baker Center for Human Rights, Color of Change, and the Dream Corps – a social justice accelerator that houses #YesWeCode, #GreenForAll, and #cut50, which recently led the charge to pass the FIRST STEP Act (a bipartisan Federal bill that The New York Times calls “the most substantial breakthrough in criminal justice in a generation”).

Jones is a Yale-educated attorney and author of three New York Times best-selling books, Beyond the Messy Truth (2017), The Green Collar Economy (2008) and Rebuild the Dream (2012), about his journey as an environmental and human rights activist to becoming a White House policy advisor. He was the main advocate for the Green Jobs Act. Signed into law by George W. Bush in 2007, the Green Jobs Act was the first piece of federal legislation to codify the term “green jobs.” During the Obama Administration, the legislation resulted in $500 million in national funding for green jobs training.

In 2009, Jones worked as the Green Jobs advisor to President Barack Obama. In this role, he helped to lead the inter-agency process that oversaw the multi-billion-dollar investment in skills training and jobs development within the environmental and green energy sectors.

He has also been honored with numerous awards and spotlighted on several lists of high achievers including: an Emmy Award; the World Economic Forum’s “Young Global Leader” designation; Rolling Stone’s “12 Leaders Who Get Things Done”; TIME’s 2009 “100 Most Influential People in The World”; an NAACP President’s Award, and The Root’s “The Root 100.”