Democratic candidate for the White House Joe Biden is accused of racism by his opponents after controversial remarks. Guest of the popular New York radio show "The Breakfast Club" for an interview, he told a radio host that he was "not black" if he thought of voting for Donald Trump, the president Republican in November.
A hesitation between Trump and Biden deemed unthinkable
After 17 minutes of interview, the former vice-president of Barack Obama told the host, Charlamagne Tha God, to end the interview. The host replied: "Look, you must come and see us when you come to New York, VP Biden (...). We have more questions" before the presidential election on November 3.
It was to this sentence that Joe Biden replied: "Do you have more questions? I'll tell you, if you have a problem deciding whether you are for me or for Trump, then you are not Black". The host bounced back, stating that "it has nothing to do with Trump, it has to do with the fact that I want something for my community." The interview then continued with Joe Biden recalling his work to strengthen the right to vote when he was a senator and the strong support he enjoys among blacks, before promising to return to the program.
Republican accusations of racism
Donald Trump's team called the exchange "disgusting" on Twitter, and the son of the Republican billionaire, Donald Trump Junior, said that Joe Biden had "a disgusting and dehumanizing racist mentality." If Donald Trump was himself accused of racism after certain words and of having maintained ambiguity towards white nationalists and remains unpopular among black voters, "1.3 million black Americans have already voted for Trump in 2016 "recalled Tim Scott, the only black Republican senator. "This morning Joe Biden told each of us that we were" not black, "considers the senator.
"I could say that I am surprised but unfortunately that corresponds to the tendency of the democrats to think that the voices of the Blacks are won in advance and to intimidate those who do not agree," he added. An argument that could hit home with some black voters who deplore that in 2016, the Democrats and Hillary Clinton thought that their votes were just "won in advance" and therefore did not campaign enough with them, lowering their participation compared to the Obama years. However, their mobilization will be crucial to winning the White House on November 3.
A sentence pronounced "jokingly"
Faced with controversy, one of Joe Biden's top advisers, Symone Sanders, herself black, assured that his comments had been made "in a joking tone". She also said that he had to focus on the overall message and that in particular "he emphasized the fact that he was ready to compare his record on African Americans with that of Trump at any time". Biden "has spent his career fighting alongside African Americans". Joe Biden also denounced during the interview "the institutional racism that still prevails in our society" and revealed by the coronavirus crisis.
Known for his blunders, Joe Biden is very popular with blacks, who brought him to victory in the Democratic primary by offering him an overwhelming score in South Carolina in late February, allowing him to return to the front of the race. Asked by the host about the possibility of a black candidate for the vice-presidency, since "the blacks saved your political life in the primary" democrat.
Joe Biden replied that "many black women are being considered" in his selection process which could last until July. Senator and ex-presidential candidate Kamala Harris, ex-candidate for governor of Georgia Stacey Abrams or elected representative of the House of Representatives, Val Demings are among the favorites.