CNN’s Van Jones was moved to tears on Sunday as he gave his emotional reaction to the news that President Joe Biden is dropping out of the 2024 presidential race.
Veteran political commentators said they were troubled by the decision and likened the Democrats’ situation to taking away the car keys from an elderly relative who can no longer drive.
“He keeps fighting and everybody gets frustrated and then finally he gets his keys back and then he just cries,” Jones said, nearing tears during live television.
“Because this is someone you love and someone you care about,” the adviser to former President Obama added.
“He’s the one who was there for you. You wouldn’t be here without him. And you got to learn something from him.”
Jones slammed recent media reports that he said portrayed Biden as “a problem for the party.”
“I don’t know anything about politics. I just know that I love this guy and I care about this guy,” he said.
Joining Jones was Sen. Chris Coons (Delaware), who also appeared distraught after hearing the Biden-Harris campaign co-chair break down in tears live on CBS.
“I want all of you Delawareans who have texted or called me over the last few hours to tell Joe Biden how much we love him, how much we admire and respect his service, and how grateful we all are for his determination and his tireless loyalty to our home state of Delaware as he has served over the decades,” Coons said, before ceasing to cry for a few seconds and regaining his composure.
“He’s the greatest Delawarean in our history, and he chose to stay grounded in our community, our parish, our diocese, our traditions and history of bipartisanship and mutual respect, compassion and civility,” he added.
An update on President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race:
MSNBC anchor Jen Psaki also seemed surprised by her former boss’ decision.
“I’m here digesting this for myself, because I worked for him for a year and a half. He’s a great person and a great president,” the former press secretary said, breaking the news on “Inside with Jen Psaki” on Sunday.
Psaki could be heard stuttering and pausing before going into details as she read Biden’s letter. The MSNBC anchor later said on X that the news was unexpected for everyone.
“Despite reports that Democrats had urged him to do so, there was little indication from those close to him or many in his campaign that this was about to happen,” she wrote.
What you need to know about President Biden’s decision to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race:
Biden’s sudden announcement not only threw Democratic plans into disarray, but also CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer’s Sunday afternoon broadcast.
Blitzer can be seen in X’s post ordering a signature cocktail, a Wolf Spritzer, at El Presidente restaurant in Washington, D.C., at approximately 12:57 p.m., before he was forced to return to the CNN newsroom just hours later to discuss Biden’s withdrawal.
Many sympathetic journalists shared meme images showing the somber expression of the CNN executive who was forced to air another major news story on a holiday.
