During their Monday night coverage of the Republican National Convention, CNN's faux conservative commentator Alyssa Farah Griffin and liberal activist Van Jones shared their thoughts on how the convention was unfolding so far. Griffin attacked Republicans, per usual, while Jones insulted the African American men who spoke at the convention by suggesting their speeches were "cringey."
Griffin stated that Republicans have been pushing the message that “the country is in decline under Joe Biden.” Unsurprisingly, she wanted to highlight some Republicans and share why she doesn’t like them:
Here's my problem with tonight's programming in prime time someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a spouse, just ridiculous conspiracy theories somebody who should not be elevated in this kind of platform. Mark Robinson, who's running in North Carolina for governor, who's shared vile anti-Semitic tropes left and right.
Griffin went on to say that giving these individuals a platform was a “mistake.”
Jones chimed in that so far, the convention “was kind of cringey to me.” His reason was because “we got half an hour into 8:00. We had four African-American men. There's clearly an agenda here.” But he was far from done with his rant as he continued:
JONES: There's an opening to get black men because of the double-whammy of black men feeling the economic pain seriously and also feeling some social dislocation with when it comes to gender and feminism and what's going on. There's an opening there but this is not it. I'm going to tell you right now.
Further, Jones had some more rather offensive things to say in regards to the political leaders who were African American that spoke at the convention. According to him, they authentically black: "They -f all four of them sounded like black people who talk about black people, but don't talk to black people. That's how they sounded."
Following the speeches made by Senator Tim Scott (R-SC) and John James (R-MI) at the convention, Jones decided to call the men out by name and bash what they said:
I just wanna say – and in the things that they said you don't -- you don't say that you have thousands of black children dying in Chicago with glee the way Tim Scott did. You don't say that black children can't read the way that James did and that there’s a time we go back, where the zip codes didn’t matter. We've never had that time in America.
Finally, Scott Jennings stepped in and put Griffin and Jones in their place as he defended the African American speakers. He started out by noting “Trump’s currently scoring in the 20’s” when it comes to polls concerning African Americans voting for Trump and “their featured tonight, whether you like him or not.”
Jennings continued to support the African American speakers as he stated" “These are messengers who are willing to go on a stage on national television, and say the Republican nominee is our guy.” He continued to applaud those involved in the convention as he shared:
You've also got Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters, coming out tonight a union leader, somebody who's going to be speaking to the working class when I think about how Trump is going to win this race, peeling back African American men, peeling back rank and file union members.
When it comes to African American leaders and union workers, Jennings confidently concluded “for my whole career, Democrats have counted on both. Now, the Republicans are making a real play, and that's why he's leading in all these swing states.”
Click "Expand" to view the transcript:
CNN Republican National Convention
7/15/2024
8:31:13 – 8:33:57 PMALYSSA FARAH GRIFFIN: Look, Republicans have a clear message here. The country is in decline under Joe Biden, we have an economic agenda that's going to make you richer, wealthier, and more prosperous. People are on message.
Here's my problem with tonight's programming in prime time someone like Marjorie Taylor Greene, who is a spouse, just ridiculous conspiracy theories somebody who should not be elevated in this kind of platform. Mark Robinson, who's running in North Carolina for governor, who's shared vile anti-Semitic tropes left and right.
What happens is you elevate some rising stars in the party like a John James and a Wesley Hunt but then put them aside these very figures who should be fringed figures and giving them equal billing. I think it's a mistake.
I think it was a choice, but overall, the message is there and this is what the Biden camp has struggled with, is you can't really say what the core message is. You can walk away from tonight, whether you agree with it or not, and you know what the core message is.
VAN JONES: You know -- it's -- that was kind of cringey to me. You got -- we got half an hour into 8 o'clock. We had four African-American men. There's clearly an agenda here, and let me just say, I'm glad that the Republicans are trying to get black men. I think both parties should compete vigorously.
There's an opening to get black men because of the double-whammy of black men feeling the economic pain seriously and also feeling some social dislocation with when it comes to gender and feminism and what's going on. There's an opening there but this is not it. I'm going to tell you right now.
They all four of them sounded like black people who talk about black people, but don't talk to black people. That's how they sounded.
My – my – my phone is blowing up because it felt so -- it felt so off in terms of the tone and the thing that they – and I just wanna say – and in the things that they said you don't -- you don't say that you have thousands of black children dying in Chicago with glee the way Tim Scott did. You don't say that black children can't read the way that James did and that there’s a time we go back, where the zip codes didn’t matter. We've never had that time in America. Those guys sound like people who talk about black people, not to black people.
JAKE TAPPER: Scott?
SCOTT JENNINGS: Just as a tactical matter tonight, you think about what Trump is doing, eating into the traditional democratic seed corn. African-American men all the polling is very stable. Trump's currently scoring in the 20s. Their featured tonight, whether you like him or not. These are messengers who are willing to go on a stage on national television, and say the Republican nominee is our guy. That's number one. You got people like that.
You've also got Sean O’Brien, the president of the Teamsters, coming out tonight a union leader, somebody who's going to be speaking to the working class when I think about how Trump is going to win this race, peeling back African American men, peeling back rank and file union members.
For my whole career, Democrats have counted on both. Now, the Republicans are making a real play, and that's why he's leading in all these swing states.
