Van Jones Moved to Tears as Biden Passes Torch to Harris
Photo by AP Photo/Susan Walsh
After President Joe Biden delivered his historic address to the nation on Wednesday, formally announcing he would not seek a second term and would pass the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris, the panel of CNN commentators watching were visibly moved. Van Jones, in particular, was overcome with emotion.
“This was incredibly hard for him to do, this would be hard for anyone to do,” said former Biden administration communications official Kate Bedingfield. “It feels almost unnatural for someone to have achieved the thing that they have been working toward their entire life and then say, the best thing is for me to step aside. Even knowing how hard that was for him, I think hearing those important themes come through, I think he was shining a light for the country moving forward over the next three and a half months through a really perilous election.”
“He said America is at an ‘inflection point,'” noted anchor Anderson Cooper. “He asked the question, do we still believe in honesty, decency, respect? Does the character in public life still matter? And he said, ‘I hope you have some idea how grateful I am to all of you.'”
“He asked the question, does character still matter?” said Jones, audibly choking up. “Well, it does tonight. It does tonight. The kid with a stutter did well. He did good. That’s a good man. He fell on his sword. He fell on his sword. Most heroes, fight to the bitter end. He fell on his sword. He’s an old guy, but the heart’s still there. You know, the words aren’t as clear but the love is clear, the heart is still there.”
Jones contrasted Biden’s actions with those of former President Donald Trump. “I think people need to look at this because you had somebody sitting in that chair and he wouldn’t give up power no matter what, wouldn’t give up power. Let there be an insurrection, wouldn’t, wouldn’t get out of that chair,” Jones said.
“And now, you’ve got somebody who sits in that same chair, showing that character does matter. Showing that you can have grace, you can put the people first, you can pass the baton, and you’re a bigger person for it. You’re going to be more loved for it. So you’ve got two examples now of what men with power do and how they act at the end. And you couldn’t act better than Joe Biden. That kid with a stutter grew up. He did a great job for this country and he’s doing a great job tonight. And I love that man.”
The emotional response from the CNN panel underscored the significant moment in American politics, highlighting Biden’s decision as an act of humility and grace, setting a powerful example for future leaders.
