Former Vice President Joe Biden said he was “too cavalier” for remarks he made in an interview with Charlamagne tha God, who told Biden he wanted to interview him again at another point because he still had questions about his candidacy. In his response, Biden told Charlamagne that anyone thinking about supporting Trump “ain’t black.”
According to remarks posted by CNN reporter Sara Mucha, Biden expressed regret for his remarks during a phone conversation with The U.S. Black Chambers Inc., and offered the following thoughts about his conversation with Charlamagne.
“The bottom line of all of this perhaps I was much too cavalier,” said Biden. “I know that the comments have come off like I was taking the African American vote for granted but nothing could be further from the truth.”
“I’ve never ever done that and I’ve earned it every time,” said Biden, in reference to his support among members of the African American community. “I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy.”
NEW: @JoeBiden to the US Black Chamber on his @breakfastclubam comments: “The bottom line of all of this perhaps I was much too cavalier I know that the comments have come off like I was taking the African American vote for granted but nothing could be further from the truth.”
— Sarah Mucha CNN (@sarahmucha) May 22, 2020
A partial transcript of the part of the conversation where Biden made the remarks to Charlamagne has been excerpted below:
UNIDENTIFIED VOICE: Thanks so much, that’s really our time I apologize.
CHARLAMAGNE: You can’t do that to black media.
BIDEN: I can do that to white media and black media because my wife has to go on at 6 o’clock. Uh oh, I’m in trouble.
CHARLAMAGNE: Listen, you gotta come see us when you come to New York VP Biden. It’s a long way until November, we got more questions.
BIDEN: You got more questions — well I’ll tell you, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.
CHARLAMAGNE: It don’t have nothing to do with Trump. It has to do with the fact I want something for my community.
After he made the remarks, Symone Sanders, a senior advisor to the campaign, said that Biden has a record of “fighting alongside and for the African American community.” Andrew Bates, rapid response director for the campaign, retweeted the statement, and Sanders added that Biden’s remarks were actually made “in jest.”
“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,” said Sanders.
Vice President Biden spent his career fighting alongside and for the African American community. He won his party’s nomination by earning every vote and meeting people where they are and that’s exactly what he intends to do this November. 1/
— Symone D. Sanders (@SymoneDSanders) May 22, 2020
In Friday’s conversation with The U.S. Black Chambers Inc., Biden also blasted President Donald Trump for promoting “policies that further threaten the African American community” and lying about President Barack Obama’s birth certificate during the previous presidency, reports CNN.
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