After delivering his joint address to Congress, President Donald Trump's speech was hailed as the moment he truly became president by CNN political commentator and former Obama administration official Van Jones, who has not shied away from criticizing Trump in the past.
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“He became president of the United States in that moment. Period,” Jones said Tuesday night. “There are a lot of people who have a lot of reasons to be frustrated with him, to be fearful of him, to be mad at him. But that was one of the most extraordinary moments you have ever seen in American politics, period. And he did something extraordinary for people who have been hoping that he would become unifying, hoping that he might find someway to become presidential. They should be happy with that moment.”
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In addition, Jones had some advice for opponents of Trump.
“For people who have been hoping that maybe he would remain a divisive cartoon, which he often finds a way to do, they should begin to become a little bit worried tonight,” Jones said. “Because that thing you just saw him do, if he finds a way to do that over and over again, he’s going to be here for eight years. Now, there is a lot he said in that speech that was not factual, not right that I oppose and will oppose. But he did something tonight that you cannot take away from him: He became president of the United States.”
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