WATCH: Van Jones Nearly Breaks Down In Tears After Tough Election Night

Election night 2024 has a familiar ring for many conservatives, reminiscent of the media shock that followed Donald Trump’s unexpected win over Hillary Clinton in 2016. The night dealt a sobering reality check to CNN’s Van Jones, who appeared visibly shaken as results showed Trump on the verge of a remarkable political comeback.

“There are African-American women who know a little bit about being talked down to, and know a little bit about having their economic dreams crushed, who tried to dream a big dream over the past couple of months. And tonight they’re trading in a lot of hope for a lot of hurt,” Jones said in an almost tearful moment.

“They thought tomorrow morning they’re gonna walk out with their shoulders back a little bit,” he continued. “Maybe able to breathe for the first time and feel like they belong someplace. They did everything that they knew how to do.”

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Jones finished, “It’s not the elites that are going to pay the price. It’s people who woke up this morning with a dream and are going to bed with a nightmare.”

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NBC’s election night coverage also turned introspective as panelists openly speculated about the Democratic Party’s decision to nominate Vice President Harris over President Joe Biden. As early returns pointed towards a likely victory for former President Trump, seasoned anchors like Lester Holt and analysts including former White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki engaged in a rare moment of public reflection on the party’s strategic decisions.

NBC’s Lester Holt opened the discussion with a pointed question, asking Psaki if the conversation had begun about whether Biden himself should have been the Democratic candidate.

“It will begin depending on the outcome,” Psaki said. “If this is not a Harris win, that will certainly be part of the discussion. She’s run a campaign over the course of 107 days. That is not something we’ve seen in history, and there’ll be lots of questions about exactly that, the timing and the impact of that.”

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The focus on Harris’s unique campaign length – less than four months since Biden’s decision to step aside – was highlighted as one of many unprecedented challenges. Psaki’s remarks hinted at frustrations within the Democratic establishment over the difficult path Harris faced in seeking to succeed an unpopular incumbent.

As the night unfolded, there was a staggering chance of victory for Trump, with an estimated 306 electoral votes likely landing in his column compared to Harris’s projected 232. The grim forecasts only amplified the sentiment among panelists that Harris faced an uphill battle, perhaps one that was insurmountable from the start. The once-imperative question of unity behind Harris may soon pivot to who is best suited to lead Democrats forward and what went wrong in a race many predicted would be close.

Once again, the press’s assumptions and narratives have been upended.