The Breakfast Club - DONKEY: CNN’s Van Jones Calls Zohran Mamdani's Victory Speech ‘Divisive’

Episode Date: November 5, 2025

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This is an I-Heart podcast. On the podcast health stuff, we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night. I'm Dr. Priyanko Wally, a double board certified physician. And I'm Hurricane de Bolu, a comedian and someone who once Googled, Do I Have Scurvy at 3 a.m? And on our show, we're talking about health in a different way, like our episode where we look at diabetes. In the United States, I mean, 50% of Americans are pre-diabetic. How preventable is type two?

Extremely. Listen to Health Stuff on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And she said, Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night. Along the central Texas plains, teens are dying, suicides that don't make sense, strange accidents, and brutal murders. In what seems to be, a plot ripped straight out of Breaking Bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people, There are people out there that absolutely know what happened. Listen to Paper Ghosts, the Texas Teen Murders, on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Robert Smith, and this is Jacob Goldstein, and we used to host a show called Planet Money. And now we're back making this new podcast called Business History about the best ideas and people and businesses in history.

And some of the worst people, horrible ideas, and destructive companies. in the history of business. First episode, how Southwest Airlines use cheap seats and free whiskey to fight its way into the airline is.

The most Texas story ever. Listen to business history on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Two rich young Americans moved to the Costa Rican jungle to start over,

but one of them will end up dead and the other tried for murder three times. It starts with a dream, a nature reserve, and a spectacular new home. But little by little, They lose it. They actually lose it.

They sort of like nuts. Until one night, everything spins out of control. Listen to Hell in Heaven on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Cal Penn, and on my new podcast, here we go again. We'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself? each week I'm calling up my friends like Bill Nye, Lily Singh, and Pete Buttigieg to talk about everything from the space race

to movie remakes to psychedelics. Put another way, are you high? Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to here we go again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

There is no question that there are problems in this country between police and community. Yes, you are a donkey. The latest on that police killing of a black man. Now to new developments in the deadly spa shooting rampage. And yesterday was a really bad day for him and this is what he did. And so we are in a state of emergency. Okay, white supremacist violence is, it always has been the number one threat to autism. But I'm also very proud that my wife is white.

The breakfast club, bitch. All right, Shornleen, please tell me why was I your donkey of the day? Donkey of the day for Wednesday, November 5th, goes the CNN's Van Jones. Now, last night, the Democrats had a good election night. They won the governor's race in Jersey, Virginia. They voted for Prop 50 in California. They retained crucial seats on the Supreme Court in Pennsylvania. House Democrats flipped 13 seats in the Virginia state legislators.

And, of course, the mayoral race in New York City was won by Zol. And that's why I have to bring Van Jones to the front of the congregation this morning because last night, Zoran gave a speech after his win in Van Jones thought the speech was divisive. I thought the opposite. Would you like to hear some of Mondani's speech? Let's listen. Safety and justice will go hand in hand as we work with police officers to reduce crime

and create a department of community safety that tackles the mental health crisis and homelessness crises head on. We believe in standing up for those we love. Whether you are an immigrant, a member of the trans community, one of the many black women that Donald Trump has fired from a federal job, a single mom still waiting for the cost of groceries to go down, or anyone else with their back against the wall, your struggle is ours too. And we will build a city hall that stands steadfast alongside Jewish New Yorkers and does not waver in the fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism where the more than one million Muslims know that they belong not just in the five boroughs of this city but in the halls of power how is any of that

divisive I personally loved it he covered all bases he talked about working with police he talked about you know helping people with mental health issues he talked about helping the homeless he talked about trans people he talked about black people black women Jewish people the Muslim community

most importantly he spoke to the working class of all races okay let people know he will be a mayor for all New Yorkers but Van Jones didn't like that he thought it was divisive Van Jones had this to say let's listen I think he missed an opportunity the mom Donnie that we saw in the campaign trail

who was a lot more calm who was a lot warmer, who was a lot more embracing, was not present in that speech. And I think that mandami is the one you need to hear from tonight. There are a lot of people trying to figure out, can I get on this train with him or not?

Is he going to include me? Is he going to be more of a class warrior, even in office? I think he missed a chance tonight to open up and bring more people into the tent. I think he was using the microphone in a way that he was almost yelling. And that's not the mom done that we've seen on TikTok

And the great interviews and stuff like that So I felt like there's a little bit of a character switch here Where the warm, open embracing guy That's close to working people Was not on stage tonight There were some other voice on stage That said he's very young And he just pulled off something that's very, very difficult

And I wouldn't write him off But I think he missed an opportunity to open himself up tonight And I think that that will probably cost him going for Man, shut the F off. forever okay there was no opportunity missed the man just won all right he just won after you won yes you're going to celebrate yes you're going to talk loud what do you mean he wasn't warm enough he took a victory lap and he deserved to take a victory lap because he won I just don't understand how in the era of Trump we still telling people how to talk the language of politics

is dead and Donald Trump killed it and you know when you can really talk that talk after you win all right i listened to zoran's uh whole speech uh zoran's whole speech because i was trying to figure out what the hell van could have been possibly talking about it couldn't have been the part i just played earlier so the only thing i could think of was the rhetoric he had put a billionaire class in donald trump let's listen we will hold bad landlords to account because the donald trumps of our city have grown far too comfortable taking advantage of their tenants we will put an end to the culture of corruption that has allowed billionaires like trussie to evade taxation and exploit tax breaks.

New York will remain a city of immigrants, a city built by immigrants, powered by immigrants, and as of tonight, led by an immigrant. So hear me. If we embrace this brave new course, rather than fleeing from it, we can respond to oligarchy and authority

oligarchy and authoritarianism with the strength it fears, not the appeasement it craves. After all, if anyone can show a nation betrayed by Donald Trump, how to defeat him, it is the city that gave rise to him. There's absolutely nothing divisive about calling out bad landlords who take advantage of tenants. Okay, there's nothing divisive about calling out billionaires who are corrupt and don't pay their fair share taxes. There's nothing wrong with calling them out, okay? an administration, all right, that is trying to implement an authoritarian strategy on America. There is nothing wrong with calling that out.

There's nothing wrong with calling out capitalism. Okay, there is nothing divisive about it. There was something Zoran said in this speech. He said, as has so often occurred, the billionaire class has sought to convince those making $30 an hour that their enemies are those earning $20 an hour. Oh, I love that. Okay, see, the reason a lot of things don't change in this country is because you don't have enough politicians that are willing to challenge capitalism.

And Zoran is doing that. So how can Van Jones be mad that someone is challenging capitalism and authoritarian strategy? Well, I need someone way smarter than me to answer that question. Medi, why would Van Jones call Zeran Mondani speech divisive? Why would people say this was an angry, far-left, rage-filled victory speech? Very hard for me to get inside of Van Jones's head, but I would remind people. that Van Jones in 2017 is the guy who gave us the most famous land of the first Trump administration. Remember when Trump gave that speech in Congress?

Van Jones on CNN said, tonight he became president in the United States. So Van Jones thinks that Donald Trump gives unifying speeches that make him president, but thinks Zoran Mamdani, who's united a multi-racial, multicultural, multi-income coalition is divisive. That tells you more about Van Jones than it does tell you about Zoran Mamdani. I mean, Jared Kushner's pal wasn't a fan of Zoran Mamdani's anti-oligarchy, anti-Trump speech. I'm shocked. Please give Van Jones the biggest he-ha. And when we come back, we're going to talk to Medi Hassan some more.

That's right. About everything that happened last night and all things going on in the world of politics. That's right. So don't go anywhere as the breakfast club. Good morning. Donkey here today is sponsored by renowned personal injury attorney Michael the Bull Lamensoff. Don't be a donkey when you need a fighter on your side. If you're ever injured, go to Michael the Bull.com.

That's Michael the Bull.com. And when you mess with the bull, you get the horns. On the podcast, every day I wake up. Wake your ass up. The breakfast club. You're all finished or y'all's done? On the podcast, health stuff, we are tackling all the health questions that keep you up at night. I'm Dr. Priyanko Wally, a double board certified physician.

And I'm Hurricane Dabolu, a comedian and someone who once Googled, Do I Have Scurvy at 3 a.m? And on our show, we're talking about health in a different way, like our episode where we look at diabetes. In the United States, I mean, 50% of Americans are pre-diabetic. How preventable is type 2? Extremely.

Listen to health stuff on the IHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. And she said, Johnny, the kids didn't come home last night. Along the central Texas plains, teens are dying. Suicides that don't make sense. Strange accidents and brutal murders. In what seems to be, a plot. ripped straight out of Breaking Bad. Drugs, alcohol, trafficking of people.

There are people out there that absolutely know what happened. Listen to Paper Ghosts, the Texas Teen Murders on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. I'm Robert Smith, and this is Jacob Goldstein, and we used to host a show called Planet Money. And now we're back making this new podcast called Business History about the best ideas and people and business. businesses in history and some of the worst people, horrible ideas and destructive companies in the history of business. First episode, how Southwest Airlines use cheap seats and free whiskey to fight its way into the airlines. The most Texas story ever. Listen to business history on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Two rich young Americans move to the Costa Rican jungle to start over, but one of them will end up dead and the other tried for murder three times. It starts with a dream, a nature reserve, and a spectacular new home. But little by little, they lose it. They actually lose it. They sort of went nuts. Until one night, everything spins out of control. Listen to Hell in Heaven on the IHeart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Hey, I'm Cal Penn, and on my new podcast, here we go again, we'll take today's trends and headlines and ask, why does history keep repeating itself? Each week, I'm calling

up my friends, like Bill Nye, Lily Singh, and Pete Buttigieg, to talk about everything from the space race to movie remakes to psychedelics. Put another way, are you high? Look, the world can seem pretty scary right now. But my goal here is for you to listen and feel a little better about the future. Listen and subscribe to here we go again with Cal Penn on the IHeart Radio app, Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. This is an IHeart podcast.