Pigs are officially flying. A CNN host has decided not to walk in lockstep with a Leftist.
And a CNN host has officially lost it after breaking ranks with this top Democrat.
In the aftermath of Zohran Mamdani’s stunning win as New York City Mayor-elect, the spotlight turned to his victory address early Wednesday. But not everyone was cheering. CNN’s Van Jones didn’t hold back, ripping into the speech for its harsh edges and failure to rally the masses.
Jones kicked things off by acknowledging the underdog’s massive triumph. He pointed out how Mamdani toppled entrenched powers that seemed unbeatable just months ago.
“Look, I’ve got divided reactions from my friends at this speech,” Jones said. “First of all, I’ve got to give the guy a big credit. He defeated a Democratic Party royalty, the Cuomo. That’s a royal family in our party. Defeated him, defeated the oligarchs and rich folks who jumped in to try to stop him, and then defeated Donald Trump. So, the triumphalism that you see there is earned.”
“A year ago, nobody ever heard of the guy. And the younger people who I’m hearing from feel a great deal of relief and pride, and they’re fired up. They feel they’ve been silenced for too long. So, that speech appealed to some.”
Yet, Jones wasn’t buying the full hype. He argued that Mamdani squandered a golden moment to connect with everyday folks who might still be on the fence about his leadership.
“But, I think he missed an opportunity,” he added. “I think the Mamdani that we saw in the campaign trail, who was a lot more calm, who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present in that speech. And I think that Mamdani is the one you need to hear from tonight. There are a lot of people trying to figure out, can I get on this train with him or not? Is he going to include me? Is he going — is he going to be one of a class warrior even in office?”
“I think he missed a chance tonight to open up and bring more people into the tent. I think his tone was sharp. I think he was using the microphone in a way that he was almost yelling. And that’s not the Mamdani that we’ve seen on TikTok and the great interviews and stuff like that.”
Jones doubled down, highlighting a jarring shift in Mamdani’s persona. The guy who charmed voters online vanished, replaced by someone who seemed more interested in settling scores than building coalitions.
“So, I felt like there’s a little bit of a character switch here where the warm, open, embracing guy that’s close to working people was not on stage tonight. There was some other voice on stage that said, he’s very young, and he just pulled off something that’s very, very difficult,” he said.
“And I wouldn’t write him off, but I think he missed an opportunity to open himself up tonight, and I think that that will probably cost him going forward.”
Think about it: in a city as tough as New York, leaders need to unite the hardworking taxpayers, not just fire up the base. Mamdani’s speech, according to Jones, came off as exclusive, pushing away those who want real change without the drama.
This isn’t just media chatter. Jones, with his insider cred, spots the pitfalls that could derail a fresh face like Mamdani before he even starts governing.
Jones praised the earned swagger, sure, but warned that youth and inexperience showed through in the wrong way.
Conservative voices might see irony—Mamdani crushed the Cuomos and big money, even Trump in this wild race, but tripped on basic outreach. It’s a reminder that rhetoric matters as much as results.
As New York gears up for Mamdani’s era, Jones’s words serve as a wake-up call. Will the mayor-elect dial back the heat and invite more Americans into his vision, or stick to the radical script that got him here?
Time will tell if this “missed opportunity” turns into a bigger headache.
Stay tuned to the DC Daily Journal.
