Interview: Georgia State Rep. Vernon Jones on Endorsing President Trump

“And I have a choice right now: Do I vote for Joe Biden, a white guy who locked black people up? Or do I vote for President Donald Trump, a white guy who happens to be a Republican, who let black people out of jail and gave them a second chance?”

On April 14th Georgia state representative Vernon Jones made national news for breaking with his party to endorse Republican President Donald Trump. Shortly thereafter, Rep. Jones was denounced by many of his fellow Democrats in Georgia, with endorsements being re-directed towards his primary challenger. Jones, however, indicated at the time: “It’s very simple to me. President Trump’s handling of the economy, his support for historically black colleges and his criminal justice initiatives drew me to endorse his campaign.” Amid the backlash, Rep. Jones initially planned to resign his seat but then reversed course. He currently plans to complete his term and vocally support President Trump’s re-election effort. He joins Merion West and Kambiz Tavana to discuss the backlash, trends he has been noticing in the Democratic Party when it comes to the party’s relationship with African Americans, and his plans to remain a Democrat.

Representative Jones, I wanted to start by asking you about the message you put out on Twitter endorsing President Trump. But, first, recently, I saw a report that you’ve resigned your seat in the Georgia House of Representatives. So we have to clear that up first.

So let me tell you what happened. When I came out to support and endorse Donald J. Trump for his re-election, the left-wing of the Democratic Party went on the attack, and a lot of mean and hateful things were said via email and phone calls. And it was very unfortunate because I felt like someone was trying to silence me—and that the Democratic Party just didn’t have room for a black man with an independent voice and who had conservative leanings. And so I decided not to complete my term.