Van Jones rebuts the Trump camp's 'Al Gore did it first!' defense of Trump's election results ambivalence

Van Jones explains the difference between Al Gore and Donald Trump
(Image credit: CNN/YouTube)

A primary defense by Donald Trump's supporters to Trump's refusal at Wednesday night's debate to say he will respect the outcome of the election is that Al Gore demanded a recount in Florida in 2000. Bill Bennett made that case on Fox News, and Jeffrey Lord made a similar point on CNN Wednesday night. Hillary Clinton supporter Van Jones was having none of it, and he was not having it using a colorful analogy.

"You know, this is a really sad night, I'm just gonna say it," Jones said. "This is a very sad night for the country. You can't polish this turd. I'm sorry, you cannot." "Technically, you can't polish any turd," Anderson Cooper cut in, getting a laugh. Jones chuckled too, but he was just getting started. "I'm going to be very clear about this: Al Gore respected the Constitution, respected the process, respected every voter, went to our Supreme Court, asked for a resolution on his own terms — as did George W. Bush — and when the election results were certified, he told his party and his base to stand down and accept this, even though a lot of us were very, very upset."

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Peter Weber, The Week US

Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.