‘I Am Not Scared of That Guy’: Van Jones Says Trump Appeared ‘Nervous’ Throughout Primetime Address

 

CNN commentator Van Jones said that whatever fears Democrats have about President Donald Trump, those feelings should have been allayed on Wednesday night.

Trump delivered remarks from the White House at 9 p.m. ET, where he rehashed previous remarks on a host of topics, including the economy and immigration. The president again blamed his predecessor for the current state of the economy, which Trump said is nonetheless improving thanks to his policies. For much of the speech, Trump spoke in a loud, halting manner that garnered plenty of reactions on social media.

At one point during the address, the president claimed that before he took office, the U.S. was “absolutely dead,” but now it is “the hottest country in the world.”

Jones, a former Obama administration official, said the speech marked the first time he had not been scared of Trump.

“I am not scared of that guy,” he said. “I’m not. This is the first time I’ve seen a Donald Trump I’m not afraid of. He is exaggerating how bad things were. That’s ok. He’s exaggerating how good things are. That is great for us. That is fantastic. His big threat to Democrats is he was more in touch with ordinary people than everybody else.”

Trump’s insistence that the economy is doing great is at odds with a slew of polls in recent weeks and months that show Americans are pessimistic on the issue.

“This is not how everyday people experience this economy or the country,” Jones continued. “People are scared. They are worried. They see a bunch of things that are happening that seem completely out of control.”

Jones concluded, “He sounded a little scared. He sounded a little nervous. I don’t know. Maybe he was just going too fast. I don’t want to read anything into that. But I think if you’re a Democrat who’s sitting here tonight biting your nails, ‘Is this guy gonna kill us? Crush us?’ I think this is a beatable guy next year. And I think he proved it tonight.”

Watch above via CNN.

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Mike is a Mediaite senior editor who covers the news in primetime. Follow him on Bluesky.