Biden regrets ‘ain’t black’ voters remark
Former Vice President Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, on Friday afternoon expressed regret for telling a radio host that black voters torn between voting for him and President Donald Trump “ain’t black,” remarks that ignited a firestorm online.
“I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy,” Biden said in a call with the U.S. Black Chambers, later saying that he had not expected to join the call. “I shouldn’t have been so cavalier.”
His remarks came hours after a testy exchange with Charlamagne Tha God, a host on the Breakfast Club, a nationally syndicated morning show popular with black millennials, that has dominated the conversation online. In the interview, during which the former vice president sidestepped a question about marijuana legalization and his running-mate selection, Biden also made clear that he felt there was no reason black Americans would consider voting for Trump.
“If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” Biden said.
The remark sparked immediate pushback on social media, with activists and conservatives jumping on Biden, 77, for acting as the arbiter of blackness. His words also exposed wounds among Democrats that date to 2016, when many leaders felt the party took black voters for granted.
“I don’t take it for granted at all,” he said later Friday.
On a call with reporters that was quickly organized by the Trump campaign, a top adviser, Katrina Pierson, and Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, the only black Republican in the Senate, rapped Biden for the comment.
“Joe Biden has a history of saying dehumanizing things when it comes to black Americans,” Pierson said.
Scott accused Biden of “negative race-baiting.”
But Pierson grew defensive in response to questions about Trump’s own history of racist remarks.
“I know the president, and I know his heart, and I know his intent,” she said, accusing the news media of taking Trump “out of context.”
Scott released a statement on Twitter before the call with reporters, reminding Biden that “1.3 million black Americans already voted for Trump in 2016.”
“This morning, Joe Biden told every single one of us we ‘ain’t black,’ ” Scott said. “I’d say I’m surprised, but it’s sadly par for the course for Democrats to take the black community for granted and browbeat those that don’t agree.”
Symone Sanders, a senior adviser for Biden, later tweeted that the comments were in jest.
In another part of the interview, Biden assured the radio host that he intended to inspire black voters in the general election. Using the appeal that worked for him in the Democratic primary, Biden said black voters knew him and his record and would value his close kinship with former President Barack Obama.
In a television interview with CNBC on Friday morning, Biden pledged that he would repeal the tax cuts signed by the president in 2017 and raise the corporate tax rate, and that he would not raise taxes on anyone making less than $400,000, as he seeks to outline his plan for the U.S.’ economic recovery in the wake of the global coronavirus pandemic.
Biden gave some of his most detailed explanations of his economic policy. He rejected the idea that he would govern as an economic progressive, saying, “I have a record of over 40 years, and I’m going to be Joe Biden. Look at my record.”
In separate media interviews this week, Biden addressed his ongoing search for a running mate and his agenda for black Americans, a key constituency in the Democratic electorate that helped save his primary campaign. Several of the candidates on Biden’s vice presidential short list have publicly confirmed they have spoken with his team, including Rep. Val Demings of Florida and Sen. Maggie Hassan of New Hampshire.
After a news report said that Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota had been contacted by his vice presidential committee, Biden was asked about her on the “Late Show With Stephen Colbert.”
“No one has been vetted,” Biden said. “There is a team put together to go down a preliminary list of people, ask their interests, ask them general questions.”