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A former Obama administration official served up a tough pill for leftists to swallow with an admission about President-elect Donald Trump’s prowess.

“This dude is a phenomenon.”

Separated from the immediacy of the post-election excuse-making on how Vice President Kamala Harris lost to Trump, the reality of the encompassing victory appeared too much for Van Jones to spin away. Instead, the onetime green job czar and current CNN commentator acknowledged, “Donald Trump is smarter than me, you and all the critics.”

The assertion, shared in what former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz called, “a clip for history,” came during a discussion with commentator Chris Cillizza who begged the question, “How the hell did Donald Trump figure out that the mainstream media is the fringe and the fringe is now the mainstream?”

“How the hell was he, the 78-year-old guy who doesn’t even have a computer and still, like, writes handwritten notes, how did he become the guy who cracked the code on, to your point, running a cultural…movement?” he asked further, seemingly attempting to paint a picture of inadequacy or ineptitude around the president-elect.

Jones forcefully put a stop to narrative-spinning on Trump’s capabilities as he criticized the left for sabotaging itself in how the GOP leader was characterized.

“Everybody keeps — I mean, the problem is you have a framework in your mind that, ‘How can Donald Trump? How can Donald Trump? How can Donald Trump?’ Guys, can we cut it out? Donald Trump is not an idiot. Donald Trump — let me just be very clear — Donald Trump is smarter than me, you and all critics,” he asserted.

In supporting his point, Jones reminded that not only had Trump secured the White House and majorities in both chambers of Congress after earning the popular vote in his sweeping victory against Harris, but the president-elect also had an advantage in the Supreme Court and benefitted from the rise of alternative media in opposition the establishment-supporting corporate airwaves.

“This dude is a phenomenon. He is the most powerful human on Earth and in our lifetime,” the CNN personality told Cillizza. “And we’re still saying, ‘Well, how is this guy…?’ We look like idiots.”

To that, the commentator agreed, “You’re totally right,” and was hardly alone as outlets continued to suffer blows to their ratings in the wake of the election after months of demonizing Trump and conservatives.

Among reactions to the intellectually honest take from Jones, comedian Eric Abbenante had made a point of blasting the Democratic Party writ large when, ahead of a series of clips highlighting a “transformation” in Jones, he posted, “Geniuses learn from other’s mistakes. Normal people learn from their own mistakes. Idiots do not learn from their own mistakes. The Democrat party and mainstream media are run by idiots, by definition.”

Kevin Haggerty
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