CNN's Van Jones says Erika Kirk has ‘tremendous moral authority’ to unite nation after WHCD shooting

WASHINGTON, DC: In the aftermath of the shooting at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner, CNN commentator Van Jones weighed in on Turning Point USA CEO Erika Kirk's recent comments.

Appearing on 'OutFront' with host Erin Burnett, Jones offered his take on Kirk, who lost her husband, Turning Point USA founder Charlie Kirk, last year.

Kirk had left Saturday’s dinner visibly shaken.

“Saturday was yet another traumatic example of the evil in our country and the continued rise in political violence,” Kirk later posted on X. “I’m taking time to spend with my family.”

A call for unity with a warning

Erin Burnett played a clip of Erika Kirk addressing reactions to multiple assassination attempts against President Donald Trump.

“There has never been a president who has faced this many assassination attempts in America’s entire history. And after each one, the reaction from the far left has been, at best, a shrug and in some cases, a sick disappointment that the shooter was unsuccessful,” she said. “We are all human beings, and if you can just pause and just take a minute and ask yourself, how would you feel if even just one person made cruel jokes about the attempted murder of your loved one?”

Jones acknowledged the weight behind her words, but added a caveat.

“Well, first of all, you know, she’s a grieving widow, and I think she has tremendous moral authority in this country,” Jones said. “And if she wants to unify the country against violence, she has an opportunity to do that.”

“But if she’s only going to chastise one side and not talk about the fact that Nancy Pelosi’s husband was almost beaten to death with a hammer, that we lost two democratic state senators in Minnesota– horrific murder,” he said. “So, look, I think she has a tremendous opportunity to be a unifying figure against violence. But she’s going to pick only one side to chastise, I think she undermines her cause.” 

Erika Kirk sounds alarm on 'serious epidemic of dehumanization'

Kirk doubled down in a video shared from 'The Charlie Kirk Show'.

“There is a serious epidemic of dehumanization plaguing this country,” Kirk said. She tied the recent attack attempt to a pattern she believes has been building over time.

“While we may have big problems with illegal immigration in this country, I have to tell you, we have an even bigger problem when it comes to the systemic indoctrination and radicalization of our own citizens,” Kirk said.

She also blasted late-night host Jimmy Kimmel, who quipped days earlier that Melania Trump had the glow of an “expectant widow.” The remark was made before the shooting and drew backlash from both the president and the first lady, who called for Kimmel’s firing.

The comedian has not apologized, insisting he was joking about the president’s age.

But Kirk wasn’t laughing.

"The ‘glow of an expectant widow,’ just 48 hours before that nightmare almost became a reality. In this culture we’re living in, [it] absorbs disagreement as a form of personal betrayal, it turns having an opposing viewpoint into a moral crime worthy of punishment," Kirk said.