In an interview with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and National Association of Black Journalists on August 5th, Biden said, “Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly diverse attitudes about different things… You go to Florida, you find a very different attitude about immigration than you do in Arizona. So it’s a very diverse community.”
What We Know:
- In an attempt to clear up former Vice President Biden’s comments, Symone Sanders, an advisor for Biden’s campaign, told Politico that Biden was, “referring to diversity of attitudes among Latinos from different Latin American countries” and not diversity in the traditional sense. She went on to say, “The video that is circulating is conveniently cut to make this about racial diversity but that’s not the case.”
- However, not long after his campaign reached out to clarify his first statements on African Americans, Biden spoke on the issue of diversity again. “We can build a new administration that reflects the full diversity of our nation. The full diversity of the Latino communities… Now when I mean full diversity, unlike African American community, many other communities, you’re from everywhere. From Europe. From the tip of South America, all the way to our border and Mexico and in the Caribbean. And different backgrounds, different ethnicities, but all Latinos.”
- President Trump didn’t wait long to criticize Biden’s comments, tweeting, “After yesterday’s statement, Sleepy Joe Biden is no longer worthy of the Black Vote!” on August 7th.
- The criticisms weren’t surprising or new, as Biden was also in hot water for comments he made on the radio show The Breakfast Club in May, wherein he said, “you ain’t black,” if you have a hard time choosing between himself and President Trump.
- Former Vice President Biden then took to Twitter to clarify.
Throughout my career I’ve witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. It’s this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 7, 2020
My commitment to you is this: I will always listen, I will never stop fighting for the African American community and I will never stop fighting for a more equitable future.
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) August 7, 2020
Before these comments, former Vice President Biden was leading amongst Black registered voters in a Washington Post/Ipsos poll from June, carrying 92% of the potential vote. It is unclear if he can keep up the same momentum with Black voters in light of his recent remarks.
