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Joe Biden, the presumptive presidential candidate for the Democratic party in the 2020 election, told a black reporter that African-Americans who don’t know if they’re on his side or Trump’s “ain’t black.”
The exchange happened on an episode of The Breakfast Club, a radio show featuring celebrity interviews during which the hosts often ask tough or uncomfortable questions of their guests.
At the end of his interview with Mr Biden, the host, Charlamagne tha God, asked the former vice president to visit the show when he was in New York because there were more questions he wanted to ask of the presidential hopeful.
“Listen you’ve got to come see us when you come to New York, VP Biden,” he said. “It’s a long way until November. We’ve got more questions.”
Mr Biden responded by suggesting that anyone who was still unsure of whether they’d support him over President Donald Trump “ain’t black.”
“You’ve got more questions?” Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” Mr Biden responded.
Charlamagne responds: “It has nothing to do with Trump, I want something for my community.”
As Charlamagne attempted to explain his concerns, Mr Biden cut him off and instead decided to run through his record.
“Take a look at my record, man. I extended the Voting Rights Act 25 years. I have a record that is second to none. The NAACP has endorsed me every time I’ve run. Come on, take a look at my record,” Mr Biden said.
The clip immediately began circulating on the internet.
Dr Ibram X Kendi, the director of the Anti-Racist Research and Policy Center at American University, said Charlamange was “on point” by replying to Mr Biden that his concerns have “nothing to do with Trump.”
“Apparently, Biden has yet to realise that for nearly all Black voters, Trump is not an option. Biden is not running against Trump. He’s running against himself. He’s running against his past. He’s running against the audacity of a White man to tell Black people who ain’t Black,” he said.
When Biden said, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump then you ain’t black,” @cthagod was on point in his reply. “It don't have nothing to do with Trump." Some Black voters are other swing voters, figuring out whether they're w/ Biden or not voting.
— Ibram X. Kendi (@DrIbram) May 22, 2020
Keith Boykin, a CNN commentator and former White House aide, said Mr Biden’s remarks were out of line.
“Somebody needs to tell Joe Biden that his comment to Charlamagne was a mistake. Yes, Biden is a much better choice for black people than racist Trump. But white people don’t get to tell black people what is black,” Mr Boykin said. “Biden still has to EARN our vote.”
But Mr Biden was not without his defenders. Jason Johnson, a political pundit who frequented MSNBC during the Democratic primaries and once referred to Bernie Sanders’ campaign – and the involvement of national co-chair Nina Turner and press secretary Briahana Joy Gray – an “island of misfit black girls,” claimed Mr Biden was “triggered” by Charlamagne.
“Just a thought … How about we listen to the entire @JoeBiden interview with @cthagod before we start roasting him? A white man telling a black man who is and isn’t black is inexcusable, but what led to that exchange, and why Biden was triggered, matters as well,” he said.
During the interview, Charlamagne pushed Mr Biden on his past, calling into question his support of policies – like the 1994 Crime Bill – that contributed to US mass incarceration and on marijuana legalisation.
When Charlamagne mentioned that former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton came onto his show and apologised for supporting policies that led to mass incarcerations, Mr Biden said she was wrong to do so.
“She was wrong. It wasn’t the crime bill, it was the drug legislation, the institution of mandatory minimums, which I opposed,” Mr Biden said.
Mr Biden’s senior advisor, Symone Sanders, claimed in a tweet that Mr Biden’s comments were made “in jest” and attempted to clarify his meaning.
“The comments made at the end of the Breakfast Club interview were in jest, but let’s be clear about what the VP was saying: he was making the distinction that he would put his record with the African American community up against Trump’s any day. Period,” she tweeted.
