Donald Trump came out swinging Monday morning against CNN analyst Van Jones, demanding the commentator apologize for repeatedly calling him a dictator on air. The attack came in a lengthy Truth Social post that dredged up a years-old collaboration between the two men on criminal justice reform.
According to The Hill, Trump opened his post by describing Jones as “devastated” and claimed the CNN analyst once came to him “crying like a baby” seeking help on legislation that had stalled in Congress. Trump said he stepped in, rounded up the votes, and got the bill done when nobody else could.
“Now I watch this guy, Van Jones, every chance he gets, calling me a ‘Dictator,’ and far worse. He should be ashamed of himself!!!” Trump wrote in the post.
What the dispute is really about
The fight goes back to the First Step Act, a bipartisan criminal justice reform bill that Trump signed into law in 2018. The law was designed to reduce the federal prison population and overhaul federal sentencing rules. Jones was one of the most prominent outside advocates pushing for its passage, and he has credited Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner as a key force behind the legislation, noting Kushner’s personal motivation after his father served federal prison time.
Trump’s Truth Social post framed it as a favor Jones should feel indebted for. “Nobody else, including Obama, who tried to for years, could have done this!” Trump wrote. It is not clear what specific Jones appearance, if any, set off Monday’s post.
However, as The Daily Beast noted, Jones has not actually called Trump a dictator in over a year. His recent CNN appearances have been more focused on general criticism of the administration. On a NewsNight with Abby Phillip segment last week, Jones told viewers that “Nobody is afraid of Donald Trump anymore.”
A feud with a long history
This is not the first time Trump has gone after Jones over the First Step Act. During the 2024 presidential campaign, Trump called Jones a “lowlife” on Truth Social for never thanking him after the bill passed. Jones has consistently given Trump credit for the legislation over the years, even defending his decision to work with the administration when critics accused him of handing Trump a political win.
Jones has framed the First Step Act as a victory for the people it helped, not for any politician. In a Politico interview, he noted that some allies warned him at the time that helping Trump pass the bill might aid his reelection chances. His response was that the real winners were the roughly 200,000 people locked up in federal prisons who stood to benefit.
The Monday post is part of a broader pattern of Trump publicly targeting media figures and commentators he views as disloyal. The administration has also drawn attention recently for its ongoing feud with ABC late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, with Trump calling for Kimmel to be fired by Disney. Meanwhile, Trump has used the Federal Communications Commission as a pressure tool against networks that he views as hostile, though Jones and CNN have shown no signs of softening their coverage. Trump has also been making headlines on other fronts, including a recent move that teased the release of UFO files.
