Vice President Joe Biden has been overly confident he will secure the black vote in November, but after a series of uncomfortable statements, he has been forced to apologize for sweeping generalizations about them.
In an interview with Yahoo News, Biden spoke about immigration, and especially the status for those seeking asylum. He said about Cuban Americans, he would look at each country individually and make sure those seeking citizenship in the US weren’t sent back. He then drew a distinction between the Latino communities and the African American communities, saying, “Unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things.”
Biden immediately faced criticism for this remark, even though he was trying to appeal to the Hispanic voter. He tried to backtrack his comments, writing on Twitter, “Earlier today, I made some comments about diversity in the African American and Latino communities that I want to clarify in no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith—not by identity, not on issues, not at all.”
He then really tried to bring his position home, writing, "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. 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.”
But President Trump was quick to jump on these comments. He retweeted the video clip of what Biden had said, and then wrote, “After yesterday’s statement, Sleepy Joe Biden is no longer worthy of the Black Vote!” President Trump has repeatedly told reporters and his followers that he has done more for the African American people than most recent presidents, even his African American predecessor. Biden is trying his best to appeal to the minority voters, but seems almost too confident in his position as he adds to the list of gaffes. Like earlier in his campaign, when he said, "If you don't vote for me, you ain't black." As the election comes closer, Trump will continue to appeal to the African American community, and has been retweeting tweets from African Americans who support him.
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