Van Jones compares RNC to Obama 2008 convention

Democratic strategist Van Jones compared the 2024 Republican National Convention, during which former President Trump accepted the GOP presidential nomination for the third time, to the 2008 Democratic National Convention where former President Obama received his party’s nomination.

“This spirit that this guy has, you guys think that’s ‘cause he’s drunk — he’s not,” Jones said on CNN late Thursday, referring to fellow panel member Scott Jennings, a Republican strategist. “This whole thing is like this.”

“The last time I was in a convention that felt like this was Obama 2008,” Jones later added in a clip highlighted by Mediaite.

“And just like Obama, Trump is showing at this convention, he has the capacity to alter the composition of the electorate,” Jennings said.

Democratic strategist David Axelrod, a former Obama adviser, said the “difference between 2008 and now is that Obama was actually popular outside of his own party.”

Republicans have been in high spirits about their chances to reclaim the White House in November as President Biden has been trailing Trump in recent polling and Democrats are facing questions over whether Biden should exit the 2024 presidential race.

According to an average of national polls from The Hill/Decision Desk HQ, Trump is leading Biden, 45.4 percent to 43.3 percent.

Jones said Wednesday was a “terrible day” for Democrats, comparing Biden’s COVID-19 diagnosis that day to the prior weekend’s assassination attempt against Trump.

“Today is a terrible day. If you pull back and look at this thing — strength versus weakness. A bullet couldn’t stop Trump; a virus just stopped Biden,” Jones said Wednesday on CNN.

“You’ve got nominees of [the Republican] Party getting their butts kissed. Biden’s getting his butt kicked by his own party. The Democrats are coming apart. The Republicans are coming together. That’s what’s happening. And at some point, this party has to look at the reality of that,” Jones continued Wednesday.