Joe Biden Should Spend Rest Of Campaign ‘Apologizing To Every Black Person He Meets,’ Says BET Co-Founder
In an interview broadcast on Saturday, Black Entertainment Television (BET) co-founder Robert Johnson blasted the Democratic Party’s presumptive presidential nominee, Joe Biden, The Hill reported.
Johnson ripped into Biden for suggesting that African Americans who decide to back President Donald Trump “ain’t black.” According to the BET co-founder, Biden’s comment “represents the arrogant and out-of-touch attitude of a paternalistic white candidate who has the audacity to tell black people, the descendants of slaves, that they are not black unless they vote for him.”
Johnson added that the former vice president’s remarks prove that he believes the African American community owes him their votes.
“This proves unequivocally that the Democratic nominee believes that black people owe him their vote without question, even though we as black people know it is exactly the opposite,” he said.
“He should spend the rest of his campaign apologizing to every black person he meets.”
Biden made the controversial remarks during a Friday interview with Charlamagne tha God. The Breakfast Club host suggested that the former vice president should come back on his show to answer more questions, and Biden replied that African Americans hesitant about voting for him “ain’t black.”
“You’ve got more questions? Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” the Democrat said.
During the interview, Charlamagne tha God and Biden discussed the former vice president’s role in the 1994 crime bill, which is thought to have led to mass incarceration of African Americans across the nation.
Biden later apologized for the remarks, stating that he did not mean to suggest that African Americans owe him their vote. He stressed that he does not take the black vote for granted.
Trump’s 2020 campaign — which has been trying to make inroads with the black community — immediately slammed the former vice president. The president’s reelection team is already fundraising off of Biden’s remarks, selling T-shirts with Biden’s controversial statement on them.
In addition, the Trump campaign will reportedly invest $1 million in social media advertisements attacking Biden’s record on mass incarceration. The president’s allies reportedly believe that increasing African American support is key to winning swing states in November.
As The Daily Wire noted, Johnson — who is thought to be America’s first black billionaire — has criticized the Democratic Party in the past. The BET co-founder has also praised Trump, arguing that the president’s economic policies have helped black communities thrive.
In November of last year, Johnson opined that none of the Democratic presidential candidates had what it takes to beat Trump in the 2020 presidential election. The billionaire argued that Democrats have moved too far away from the center, alienating African American voters in the process.
