Political commentator Van Jones expressed millions of Americans’ fears of a Donald Trump presidency Tuesday, calling it a “white-lash” against diversity and President Obama’s eight years in office.
“This was a white-lash against a changing country, it was a white-lash against a black president in part,” Jones said on CNN. “That’s the part where the pain comes.”
As of this writing, Trump was close to scoring the 270 electoral college votes he will need to become America’s 45th president.
“Donald Trump has a responsibility tonight to come out and reassure people that he is going to be the president of all the people who he insulted and offended and brushed aside,” added Jones.
The Republican presidential candidate has been criticized for isolating women, Latinos, African-Americans and Muslims, among others, during his campaign.
“When you say you want to take your country back, you got a lot of people who feel that we’re not represented well either,” said Jones. “We don’t want to feel that someone has been elected by throwing away some of us to appeal more deeply to others. This is a deeply painful moment tonight.”
Jones added that he understands not everything is about race, but we still have to talk about it.
Watch the video above.