CNN commentator Van Jones believes Democrats avoided a political catastrophe after former President Trump's incoherent and rambling RNC speech, allowing them to maintain their campaign momentum.
CNN commentator and former Obama administration official Van Jones has asserted that Democrats narrowly averted a political disaster on Thursday night due to former President Trump's chaotic and rambling speech at the Republican National Convention (RNC).
Jones remarked that Democrats "dodged a bullet" after Trump concluded his lengthy nomination acceptance speech, which he described as "a mess." Despite surviving an assassination attempt earlier in the week, Trump's speech, which lasted approximately 92 minutes, was widely criticized for its lack of focus and coherence.
Democrats' Relief as Trump's RNC Speech Fails to Deliver
"That was just a big mess," Jones said. "He just couldn't help himself."
According to Jones, Democrats would have taken harsh action against President Biden if he had delivered a speech that was "that incoherent, that rambling," and "that undisciplined." He emphasized that Trump had squandered an opportunity to capitalize on his recent surge in popularity after the assassination attempt.
Democrats' Relief as Trump's RNC Speech Fails to Deliver
"He had the whole world in his hands," Jones said. "If he had just stayed with that unity message, he might have caused some problems. He just could not help himself."
Jones argued that Trump's speech had brought the campaign back to a "normal campaign dynamic" after a period of heightened emotion and political instability following his survival.
Democrats' Relief as Trump's RNC Speech Fails to Deliver
"Trump took what was the most energetic convention, and he was boring," Jones said. "He took the most disciplined convention, and he was undisciplined."
Jones criticized Trump's speech for abruptly shifting from "10 minutes of unity talk off the teleprompter" to "rabid attacks on Nancy Pelosi, on Joe Biden, and talking about Hannibal Lecter."
"That is not a new Trump," Jones said.
CNN commentator David Axelrod echoed Jones's sentiment, stating that Trump's speech had given Democrats a positive development for the first time in weeks, amidst their disarray and growing calls to replace Biden on the 2024 ticket.
Earlier in the week, Jones had compared the energy at the RNC to the excitement he witnessed during former President Obama's first nomination in 2008. However, he now believes that Trump's poor speech has shifted the momentum back in favor of Democrats.
Trump communications director Steven Cheung dismissed Jones's comments as unsurprising, stating that Democrats "would think about things in terms of 'bullets.'"
