Former Obama advisor Van Jones offered a stark warning to the political establishment at the New York Times DealBook summit: their strategies for engaging the American public are drastically out of touch. Jones highlighted the repeated voter calls for "change" in recent elections – from Obama to Trump, and then back again – as evidence of widespread dissatisfaction with the status quo.

He stressed that neither party seems to have grasped the root of the problem, focusing more on partisan battles than addressing the real concerns of working-class Americans. Jones's perspective, he emphasized, comes from firsthand experience on the ground with voters, not from the insulated world of cable news punditry.

Jones criticized the political class for dismissing the Trump campaign's focus on digital influencers. He argued that "digital is the new door-knocking," pointing out that voters are constantly immersed in online content, often from sources far removed from traditional media.

He illustrated this disconnect with an anecdote about his own teenage son, who cited online video game streamers as the most influential figures today, rather than established names like Obama or Oprah. These streamers, active on platforms like Twitch, Kik, and Rumble, command massive online audiences that dwarf cable news viewership.

Jones contended that Trump, unlike most politicians, recognized this shift in media consumption early on. He agreed with Kellyanne Conway's assessment that the political class is significantly behind the curve, with the mainstream becoming fringe and vice-versa. Jones urged a reassessment of how to reach voters in this evolving media landscape.