Jay Jones has not just criticized his opponent’s policies; he has framed Jason Miyares as a politician who is too closely aligned with Donald Trump and unwilling to stand up for Virginians’ interests.

Quick Scoop

In their October 2025 Virginia attorney general debate, Jay Jones said Jason Miyares could not be trusted to aggressively challenge harmful actions by President Donald Trump on behalf of the commonwealth. Jones argued that while other state attorneys general sued the Trump administration to protect their states, Miyares “has not done so” because he is “too weak and too afraid to confront the president.”

What did Jay Jones say about his opponent?

Jones portrayed Miyares as a loyal ally of Trump rather than an independent watchdog for Virginians. He claimed Trump’s endorsement of Miyares showed that Miyares would prioritize Trump’s interests over those of ordinary Virginians, saying that when Trump said Miyares would “never let you down,” “he means Donald Trump,” whose only real concern is himself.

Main lines of attack

  • Jones accused Miyares of failing to oppose Trump on:
    • Dismissing federal workers and undercutting public services in Virginia.
* Underfunding schools and imposing tariffs that hurt regional economies.

* Deploying armed troops into cities and cutting law enforcement funding in ways Jones said harmed the commonwealth.
  • He summed up his criticism by arguing that:
    • Miyares had chances to sue or challenge the Trump administration but “hasn’t taken any action.”
* Virginians needed an attorney general who would “fight to safeguard” state resources instead of protecting Trump politically.

In short, when people ask “what did Jay Jones say about his opponent?” the core answer is: he cast Jason Miyares as a Trump-aligned incumbent who is too timid to stand up to the former president and too unreliable to defend Virginians’ interests in court.

TL;DR: Jay Jones said his opponent Jason Miyares is a Trump-backed incumbent who has failed to challenge Trump’s actions in ways that hurt Virginia, calling him too weak and too afraid to confront the president and arguing he cannot be trusted to put Virginians first.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.