CNN’s Van Jones is issuing a warning to the Democratic party about Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) supporters.
As more Democratic primary results were announced on Tuesday, former Vice President Joe Biden’s likelihood of clinching the presidential nomination increased. Because of that, Jones opted to express the critical state in which Sanders’ campaign and supporters are facing.
He also stressed how vital it is for Biden to begin reaching out to Sanders’ supporters. If he does not win the Democratic nomination, there is a possibility his supporters—namely his younger supporters— may be deterred from voting.
“You have now an insurgency that’s about to be defeated. What do you do with the people that you defeat? There was a hope on the part of a lot of young people they had a champion. Young people who are graduating with a quarter-million dollars in debt, young people with a lot of pain, and they had a champion. … Now what do you do? Last time Bernie Sanders got beaten, there was an assumption that all his people were going to fall in line and vote against Trump and there was not enough care for the concern and the pain of his base.”
While the Democratic party may be breathing a sigh of relief right now, Jones also noted what needs to be done in order to maintain this momentum.
“I think tonight, there’s going to be a lot of crowing, a lot of relief on the part of the establishment, but keep it temperate and turn — turn to those people and say we want to be your champion. If you don’t do that, you’re going to have a pyrrhic victory.”
He also tweeted, “This is a very dangerous moment for the Democratic party. You have an insurgency about to be defeated. What do you do with the people you defeat? A lot of young people are going to be crushed. We need to turn to them and say, ‘We want to be your champion.'”
Check out Jones’ remarks below:
This is a very dangerous moment for the Democratic party. You have an insurgency about to be defeated. What do you do with the people you defeat? A lot of young people are going to be crushed. We need to turn to them and say, "We want to be your champion." #CNN #SuperTuesday2 pic.twitter.com/Hg4dJBPOaA
— Van Jones (@VanJones68) March 11, 2020
Ironically, Biden released a statement similar to Jones’ suggestion. Late Tuesday night, Biden issued a message to Sanders’ supporters, as IJR previously reported.
The Democratic front-runner reached out to Sanders and his loyal supporters in a speech. He thanked the Vermont senator and offered a message to his supporters stressing the importance of unity in order for the party to “defeat Trump.”
“I want to thank Bernie Sanders and his supporters for their tireless energy and their passion,” Biden said. “We share a common goal, and together we’ll defeat Donald Trump.”
See Biden’s comments below:
NEW: Joe Biden: "I want to thank Bernie Sanders and his supporters for their tireless energy and their passion. We share a common goal—and together we'll defeat Donald Trump." https://t.co/eBYvH5Xy7i pic.twitter.com/TtLcpIV9M7
— ABC News (@ABC) March 11, 2020
On Tuesday, six states were at stake —of those six, Biden took four: Mississippi, Missouri, Idaho, and most importantly, Michigan. Sanders took a victory in North Dakota, while Washington is reportedly too close to call, as of publication.