Kamala Wants to Lift You Up, Trump Wants to Lock You Up”: Van Jones on Key Message for Young Black Voters
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CNN commentator Van Jones highlighted a powerful new message resonating with young Black men in critical battleground states. Speaking Monday on CNN’s The Source, Jones shared what he described as the “breakthrough message” for mobilizing young Black voters in states like Pennsylvania and Michigan: “Kamala Harris wants to lift you up, Donald Trump wants to lock you up.”
Jones, a former Obama White House official, explained to host Kaitlan Collins that the campaign has recently identified this message as a key motivator. “On the doors in Philadelphia, on the doors in Detroit, people are still in the fight to persuade young Black men to come out, and the actual message that’s working on the doors is ‘Kamala Harris wants to lift you up, Donald Trump wants to lock you up,’” Jones emphasized.
He elaborated, pointing to specific issues that matter to these voters. “Kamala Harris has plans to get you a job, to get you help with housing, get you help with your next kid,” Jones said. “Donald Trump wants to get stop and frisk back in place to put you in jail, he wants blanket immunity for cops to make sure that you get beat up and nothing to be done about.”
Jones spoke directly to viewers, urging them to spread this message among young Black men who may be on the fence about voting. “If you know some young African Americans that don’t know if they’re going to vote, Kamala Harris wants to lift them up, Donald Trump wants to lock them up,” he said, underscoring the stark choice he believes is at stake.
In a lighter moment, Collins responded with a smile, “I love a direct-to-cam…always on election eve,” which drew laughs from the other panelists. Earlier in the segment, Jones had also taken aim at Trump’s decision to keep his distance from former United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley on the campaign trail. Calling Trump “petty, petty, petty,” Jones criticized the former president’s refusal to rally alongside Haley. “He’d rather win on vengeance and macho and all this sort of stuff,” he said, predicting that, if re-elected, Trump would “stay nasty” and pursue a divisive agenda.
Jones’ comments reflect the ongoing push by Democrats to secure support from young Black voters, particularly men, who remain a critical demographic in swing states. For this voting bloc, issues like economic opportunity, police reform, and criminal justice have taken center stage. By contrasting Harris’s policies with Trump’s law-and-order stance, Jones and other campaign strategists hope to engage young Black men who may feel disenfranchised or skeptical about casting their votes.
With Election Day fast approaching, the stakes in battleground states like Pennsylvania and Michigan have only intensified. The Harris campaign’s focus on young Black men suggests an effort to connect personally on issues impacting their daily lives, presenting what Jones calls a “lift you up” approach that stands in opposition to Trump’s “lock you up” rhetoric.
Whether this message will effectively resonate and mobilize this key demographic will become clearer in the coming days. For now, Jones’ passionate appeal underscores the importance of a direct, issue-driven message in reaching voters who could tip the scales in the tightly contested states.
