It seems that no matter what his presidential campaign tries to do, Joe Biden can’t help putting his foot in his mouth. Just a day ago, the former vice president and presumptive Democratic nominee for president of the United States, got confused about when D-Day and Pearl Harbor took place. That was on the heels of telling an interviewer he would have no problem breaking the law by talking to foreign leaders before his swearing-in.
It’s happened again. And it couldn’t come at a worse moment in U.S. history, in the middle of rioting, looting, and all Americans asking complex questions about law enforcement and race.
Doubtless, by now you’ve heard about Biden’s May 22 radio interview with Charlamagne tha God, in which he made what many consider racist remarks about black Americans and their obligation to vote Democrat. It was the only story in the media over Memorial Day weekend, much to the consternation of congressional Democrats and their mainstream media allies.
But Biden couldn’t help himself from doubling down on things, as RedState’s Nick Arama wrote, during his Tuesday interview with CNN’s Dana Bash:
But then he goes on to blame Charlamagne. “I shouldn’t have been such a wise guy with him, he was being a wise guy and I responded in kind.”
It was a response that did nothing to help his cause with anyone, least of all black Americans.
Now, in a Friday interview with CNN’s Don Lemon, he’s managed to triple-down, as my colleague Jennifer Van Laar put it on Twitter, by blaming the black man in the situation for his racist comments.
Watch for yourself:
Joe Biden blames his “you ain’t black” comments on Charlamagne tha God “baiting” him.
— Benny (@bennyjohnson) May 29, 2020
Edit:
And here’s the transcript of the exchange between Lemon and Biden:
Lemon began, “By contrast, that comment that you made a week ago, that appeared to take black voters for granted – in light of these horrible events of the last week – it’s important for black voters to know which leader are you going to be?”
After a pause, Biden replied:
The leader I’ve always been. I apologied immediately to responding to Charlamagne, who was baiting me. And if you looked at that film, you’ll see that I was smiling at him. I was referring to him; I wasn’t referring to all African Americans. But I should have never said it.
I have never, ever, ever, ever, ever, ever taken the African American community for granted. I have been their ally, and they’ve been mine. And I’ve worked hard to earn every single vote I’ve ever gotten. That’s what I’m trying to do, and that’s what I’m going to continue to do. No one should be taken for granted: based on their race, their religion, their background at all.
As the host started to round up the exchange, Biden muttered, in response to what is unclear, “No, I do not.”
Join the conversation as a VIP Member