‘Pick Up the Phone and Do It Right Now’: Van Jones Implores Biden to Reach Out to Prominent Anti-Trump Republicans

CNN commentator Van Jones all but begged President Joe Biden to contact high-profile Republicans who oppose Donald Trump – if Biden hasn’t done so already.

On Friday, Jonathan Martin of Politico published a piece titled, “Why Hasn’t Biden Called Chris Christie?” The author argues that Biden should try to ally with anti-Trump Republicans to try to shore up conservative support ahead of November’s election against the former president.

“It’s political malpractice,” Martin wrote. “And Christie isn’t the only anti-Trump Republican or independent waiting for their phone to ring. Prominent former GOP officeholders, from George W. Bush to Mike Pence to Paul Ryan, also haven’t been contacted.”

Kaitlan Collins cited the column on Friday’s episode of The Source, where she asked for Jones’ reaction after rattling off a list of prominent anti-Trump Republicans.

“None of them have heard from Joe Biden,” she said. “Why is that? Do you think you should reach out to them?”

Jones echoed Martin’s critique, stating:

Well, if he hasn’t, I would call that political malpractice. We need the biggest, broadest tent possible – the pro-democracy forces, the anti-authoritarian forces. Include Republicans, independents, Green Party libertarians, Democrats, and further to the left than Democrats. All have an interest in making sure we don’t have an authoritarian in the White House. And so, if Biden has not reached out to them, look, it’s still early tonight. I hope he’ll pick up the phone and do it right now.

Fellow CNN commentator Scott Jennings responded that Biden does not appear interested in broadening his coalition to include Republicans.

“I think everything Joe Biden does is aimed at Democrats or people who consider themselves to be more liberal than Democrats,” he said. “I think he does very little to nothing to aim at the middle of the country or the center-right that you’re talking about that could probably be had. He didn’t do it in the State of the Union. They don’t do it in their campaign messaging. Maybe they’ll get there someday, but I don’t see evidence of it so far.”

Watch above via CNN.