Trump tells elaborate false story about Van Jones apologizing to him

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/05/politics/fact-check-trump-van-jones-false-story/index.html

Trump claimed that he had watched a television show "three weeks ago" in which Jones, a prominent advocate for criminal justice reform, had praised a long list of people, including the Rev. Al Sharpton, for the First Step Act reform bill Trump signed into law in 2018 -- but had failed to mention Trump himself.

"The only one he didn't mention was me," Trump said.

"I kept waiting for my name," Trump continued. "I said, 'Darling, come over here. I'm going to have a great little name mention. Yes, darling' -- First Lady. How good is the First Lady? So she came over. And I kept waiting. And I kept waiting. And then he named a lot of people -- that was the end. I said -- I was a little embarrassed in front of my wife. I said, 'He didn't name me! I'm the one that did it!' I called up Jared (Kushner), right Jared? I said, 'What the hell is this?' "

Trump complained that Jones had called for his defeat in the election on the same show. And he then claimed that Jones later apologized for omitting him.

"And then he spoke to Jared and he apologized, didn't he? He apologized. But I don't accept those apologies," Trump said.

Facts First: Jones said Friday that he has never made any such apology to Trump or Kushner. He has never praised Sharpton on his CNN show, and he has habitually given Trump credit for the First Step Act -- including in a CNN appearance three weeks ago, in which he said, "I think Trump has gotten too little credit for what he did on criminal justice reform."

Jones said Friday: "I literally do not know what he's talking about."

"I have not apologized for not mentioning Trump because I've never not mentioned Trump," he said. "Why would I apologize for not doing something that I did?"