Presidential Election

CNN Analyst Puts Into Words Why Many Fear Trump's Presidency

Van Jones' words seemed to resonate with many groups that felt alienated by Trump's campaign.

CNN Analyst Puts Into Words Why Many Fear Trump's Presidency
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CNN political analyst Van Jones put into words how some Americans are feeling after Donald Trump's surprising election win: afraid.

"This was a whitelash against a changing country. It was a whitelash against a black president, in part. And that's the part where the pain comes," Jones said on election night. 

Jones said he'd received messages from his Muslim friends asking if they should leave the country. 

"You tell your kids, 'Don't be a bully.' You tell your kids, 'Don't be a bigot.' ... You have people putting their children to bed tonight, and they're afraid of breakfast. They're afraid of, 'How do I explain this to my children?'" Jones said. 

SEE MORE: Pope Francis Warns Against Building Walls And Fear In Politics

Jones' words seemed to resonate with many of the Americans who were shocked by Trump's win. During his campaign, Trump's comments alienated various groups of Americans, including MuslimsAfrican-Americansimmigrants and the LGBT community. 

The political commentator called on the president-elect to assure the country that he's going to be a leader for everyone. 

"When you say you want to take your country back, you got a lot of people who feel that we're not represented well, either. But we don't want to feel that someone has been elected by throwing away some of us to appeal more deeply to others," Jones explained.

And during his acceptance speech, Trump did just that. 

"I say it is time for us to come together as one united people. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be a president for all Americans. And this is so important to me," Trump said Tuesday night.