Biden walks back black voters comment
Presumptive Dem presidential nominee said he was ‘cavalier’
ATLANTA — Joe Biden declared he “should not have been so cavalier” Friday when he told a prominent black radio host that African Americans who back President Donald Trump “ain’t black.”
The presumptive Democratic presidential nominee moved quickly to address fallout from his remark. In a call with the U.S. Black Chamber of Commerce, Biden said he would never “take the African American community for granted.”
That was an acknowledgement of the stinging criticism he received in response to his comments, made on “The Breakfast Club,” a radio program popular in the black community.
The rebukes included allies of Trump’s reelection campaign and some black activists, who warned that Biden must still court black votes, even if African Americans overwhelmingly oppose the president.
“None of us can afford for the party or for this campaign to mess this election up, and comments like these … frankly either make black voters feel like we’re not really valued and people don’t care if we show up or not,” said Alicia Garza, a Black Lives Matter co-founder and principal of Black Futures Lab.
Near the end of Biden’s appearance on the radio program, host Charlamagne Tha God, pressed him on reports that he is considering Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who is white, as his vice presidential running mate. The host told Biden that black voters “saved your political life in the primaries” and “have things they want from you.”
Biden said that “I guarantee you there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple.”
He then added: “If you’ve got a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or for Trump, then you ain’t black.”
The comments came at a critical point as Biden tries to revive the mutliracial, mulitgenerational coalition that twice elected Barack Obama, whom he served as vice president. He has already committed to picking a woman as his running mate and is considering several African American contenders who could energize black voters. But with black voters already opposed to Trump, Biden is also considering candidates such as Klobuchar.