CNN commentator gives Trump credit for attending WHCA dinner before blasting his speech as 'mean and small'

CNN commentator Van Jones offered words of unlikely praise to President Donald Trump amid his attendance at the rescheduled White House Correspondents Association (WHCA) Dinner.

During the network’s coverage of the event, anchor John Berman noted to viewers that the journalists’ awards would be handed out before Trump took to the podium to deliver his speech — a schedule change that was not in effect on April 25 when the dinner was originally planned.

"The president was going to speak first, then the awards. So he could have left, in theory, if he wanted to," Berman said before tossing to Jones. "This time, he’s going to have to sit through and watch awards being given to reporters who report on him, maybe in ways he doesn’t like. One wonders how he might feel about that."

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Jones replied by pointing out that Trump should receive recognition for remaining to watch journalists who often provide coverage that disagrees with his administration.

"You really do have to give President Trump credit tonight," Jones said. "I mean, we were saying he was going to basically do his thing and run away."

"He’s not running away," Jones added. "He’s going to be there. And maybe someone will have the courage to speak up [against him]. Maybe they won’t. But he’s putting himself in harm’s way in that regard."

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Fox News Digital reached out to the White House for comment.

The dinner was rescheduled from its April 25 date after a gunman stormed the security perimeter and fired a shot in an attempt to assassinate the president.

Following Trump’s remarks at the event, in which he poked fun at members of the press while candidly addressing his relationship with the media, Jones offered a harsh rebuke to the president’s comments.

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"I think the worst thing you can say is that it just wasn’t funny at all," Jones said. "It just wasn’t funny. It was mean and small. But you can be mean and small and funny. This was mean and small and not funny."

Jones went on to criticize Trump’s topic choice at the annual gala, and instead suggested the president should have touched upon political issues while addressing attendees.

"And he didn’t talk about any American, besides himself and his enemies," Jones continued. "There are people at home who can’t figure out how to pay for gas. There are people at home who worry about their nephew who’s serving overseas.

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"There’s people at home who have real problems, who would love to see somebody reflect their reality and maybe make fun of some of their enemies, some of their problems. He missed the entire opportunity to talk to those people."

Last week, the CNN correspondent and longtime progressive Democrat appeared to distance himself from far-left activists gaining traction within his own party.

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"Yes, we want our Democratic Party to be a big tent. But we don’t need 'party poopers.’ So STOP pooping in the punch bowl — and telling us the turds are ice cubes," Jones said on X.

In the same post, Jones condemned the platform held by Democratic Socialist of America (DSA) activists, and warned that their positions on Hamas, prisons and immigration risk further dividing the Democratic Party.

"Supporting Hamas is not progressive. 'No police, no prisons, no borders' is not progressive. Celebrating the murder of Israeli civilians is not progressive. These ideas are REGRESSIVE," Jones said.

He went on to argue the difference between both "progressive" and "regressive" platforms within the party.

"On the other hand, if everybody could see a doctor when they got sick, get a good, free education and breathe clean air — would that represent progress? Yes. Those are PROGRESSIVE ideas," Jones added. "They are NOT the same thing. And the difference matters."