Sunny Hostin said challenged Van Jones during Friday’s broadcast on ABC’s “The View,” saying that the Black community doesn’t trust him.
Hostin argued that Jones’ support for some of former President Donald Trump’s policies put him at odds with many in the Black community who viewed him as a “political opportunist” and thought he provided “racial cover” for Trump. (RELATED: Sunny Hostin Says 74 Million Americans Have Been ‘Brainwashed’)
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“You do spend a lot of time, you know, threading the middle and trying to unite, but people accuse you of being a political opportunist, and a chameleon,” Hostin said, noting that Jones had cheered Trump for policies like funding for Black colleges, opportunity zones and criminal justice reform.
“People in the Black community don’t trust you anymore,” Hostin continued, asking Jones how he’d respond to that.
“The entire quote I said was that Trump has done a lot of good stuff he doesn’t get credit for it, and then I went on to say that the reason is because he’s done all this horrific stuff, and it erases what he does,” Jones clarified. “But social media will take the clip, but they won’t show the full context.
Jones went on to say that his goal was to bring people together and solve tough problems for the people “at the very bottom” who didn’t have the resources or the ability help themselves.
“I have spent 25 years fighting against the prison system,” Jones continued, saying that he had accomplished major goals by working on bipartisan bills and talking to anyone who could help him, whether they be Republican or Democrat.
“The people behind bars are not sitting up here worried saying, get me out of prison, Van, but whatever you do, don’t talk to a Republican. They’re saying get me out of prison,” Jones added. “People may not like everything I’ve said on television, and I try to be balanced. Look at what I have done. Who among my critics have been able to get people together to help folks at the bottom?”
Jones concluded by saying that the constant fighting and refusing to work with the others side would only hurt the people they claimed to be trying to help.
“I’m never going to apologize for putting the interests of people at the bottom first. People need champions. Whoever is in that White House, I have a responsibility to go in there and advocate and try to get people home out of prison. I’m going to keep doing it, whoever is in that White House,” he said.