Van Jones felt ‘ambushed’ by ‘The View’ hosts: report

CNN host Van Jones reportedly was not happy with how hosts on “The View” handled his appearance on the show, calling it “unprofessional,” according to a report by the New York Post’s Page Six.

Jones joined “The View” on Feb. 5 for an interview about his new documentary when he was questioned about his past praises of former President Trump and the distrust some in the Black community might have of him because of it.

“He felt like they were rude, and he was completely blindsided by how they questioned him. He was not happy about how the interview went. It was unprofessional,” a source told Page Six.

Jones was expecting to talk about his documentary, which he worked on with Meghan McCain, a co-host on “The View.” The documentary, called “Reunited America,” is about trying to heal the political divide in the country. 

“[Van] expected a friendly environment, and I don’t think Meghan even knew there was anything controversial about him. It was how they asked the questions that was off-putting. It was shocking how intolerant they were,” the source told Page Six.

“The View” host Sunny Hostin said that Jones has flip-flopped on the issue of Trump, going from saying that Trump has done good things for the Black community to crying on CNN when President Biden won.

“There are those who really accuse you of being an opportunist, a chameleon, so to speak, who provided a racial cover for former disgraced, twice-impeached, President Trump. … People in the black community don’t trust you anymore. What is your response?” Hostin asked Jones.

.@VanJones68 defends himself against criticism over giving Trump credit for his work in the Black community, despite publicly disapproving other actions by Trump: “I’m never going to apologize for putting the interest of people at the bottom first.” https://t.co/cVclFZQmjA pic.twitter.com/5SDfUVSl4P

— The View (@TheView) February 5, 2021

Jones told Hostin that “wasn’t true” and said that the quote she used of him praising Trump for his work in the Black community was taken out of context. 

Another source told Page Six that Jones told producers about his displeasure with the interview: “He told them, ‘I didn’t expect to be ambushed.’”

A spokesperson from “The View” told Page Six that Jones did not say anything to the producers about the interview. 

“This is nonsense. None of the producers heard from Van after his appearance. He more than held his own, and clearly you have to be ready for anything when you come to ‘The View,’” the spokesperson said. 

Another source, who Page Six wrote was familiar with the incident, said he was aware beforehand what types of questions he would be asked.

“It’s unfortunate that instead of addressing the very real distrust of him within the black community, Van chooses to attack two women of color via social media, hiding behind the guise of ‘unity,’” the source said. “Van is taking a page from Donald Trump’s playbook, whom he called the ‘uniter-in-chief’ in 2018. His exposure as a persona non grata in the black community is clearly jeopardizing his grift.”

The Hill has reached out to Van Jones for comment.