In Contentious Interview, Biden Says Black Voters Considering Trump over Him “Ain’t Black”

Joe Biden defended his legislative record in an often contentious Friday morning interview with Charlamagne The God, the host of the popular radio show “The Breakfast Club,” and argued that his presidential campaign was doing enough to reach out to black voters. At one point, Biden argued that black voters undecided on whether to vote for him or for President Trump “ain’t black.”

When Charlamagne asked him about comments from the rapper Sean Combs, who performs as Diddy, that Democrats take black voters for granted, Biden noted that he had won overwhelmingly in the South Carolina primary.

“I kicked everybody’s — excuse me,” Biden said, catching himself before he cursed.

“I need you to say that!” Charlamagne replied.

“I won every single county. I won the largest share of the black vote that anybody had, including Barack,” Biden continued, noting that his home state of Delaware has the eighth largest black population in the country. “They’re the folks that, as they say up my way, brung me to the dance. That’s how I get elected every single time.”

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Biden also “guaranteed” that he was considering a black woman to serve as his vice president. {snip}

“I guarantee you, there are multiple black women being considered. Multiple,” Biden said.

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“If you have a problem figuring out if you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” Biden said.

“It don’t have nothing to do with Trump — it has to do with the fact that I want something for my community,” Charlamagne countered. Biden replied that he should take a look at his voting record to see his longtime support for the black community.

Some black Republicans took issue with Biden’s remark, including Michigan Senate candidate John James, who addressed Biden in a tweeted video: “You challenging me and millions of other people out there on their blackness, descendants of slaves, from you is some seriously condescending, out of touch bullcrap,” and he questioned whether Biden should “even be running for president in the Democratic Party who says they’re for black people.”

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Biden senior adviser Symone D. Sanders later clarified Biden’s remarks, saying they were made in “jest.”

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