The fallout from President Joe Biden’s latest racially insensitive gaffe continues as he is coming under fire for referring to rapper LL Cool J as “boy” during a speech in front of the Congressional Black Caucus. Regular black Americans and even a popular radio host blasted the president for the comment and referred to the history behind how the term was used to demean black men.
This development couldn’t have come at a worse time for President Biden, who is rapidly losing support among the black electorate.
"Two of the great artists of our time represented the groundbreaking legacy of hip hop in America. LL J Cool J, uhhh…" Biden said during his speech. "By the way, that boy's got – that man's got – biceps bigger than my thighs."
BIDEN: "LL J Cool J, uhh, by the way, that boy's got— that man's got biceps bigger than my thighs" pic.twitter.com/ulCQRkEp0l
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) September 24, 2023
The term “boy” has been used historically to belittle black men and reinforce harmful stereotypes. Many saw this gaffe as a huge misstep – especially in the context of addressing the Congressional Black Caucus. Needless to say, it did not go unnoticed.
On "FOX & Friends First" Monday, a panel of Black voters also weighed in on Biden's remark.
"It's 2023. It's very unacceptable to speak and use that language when referring to my community," Darnesha Weary, owner of Black Coffee Northwest located in Washington State, said. "He should know better by now, so I was very upset about that."
Chris McCullough, a father of three, a small business owner and former Democrat who voted for Biden in 2020, didn't mince words, either.
"I just thought this is just like another example of how Biden truly feels about the Black community. This isn't the first time he's referred to a Black man as a boy, and it's most likely not going to be the last one," he said, referencing previous instances in which Biden used the label, including when addressing Maryland's Democrat Gov. Wes Moore, the state's first Black governor.
Charlamagne tha God, an influential black radio host on “The Breakfast Club,” also chimed in, granting the president the “Donkey of the Day” award.
"A lot of people are upset that Joe Biden referred to LL Cool J as a ‘boy,’ as you can hear he corrected himself on the spot, you know why Joe Biden corrected himself because he’s 137 years old," Charlamagne said. "He fully understands the word ‘boy' in a racial context around a White man referring to a Black man as ‘boy,’ You see, ‘boy’ is absolutely a White racist word when used in a certain context."
However, Charlamagne pivoted to argue that the part of the incident he truly "found egregious" was "the fact that Joe Biden got LL Cool J’s name wrong to begin with."
It was on Charlamagne's show where Biden originally said that black people who aren't sure whether they support him or Trump "ain't black." Others on social media also slammed the president:
Countless social media users piled on in unison.
On X, formerly Twitter, one user said: 'Ohhh god make it stop PLLEASE. He's making a total mockery of this country'.
Another accused him of being an 'ignorant racist Democrat', with someone declaring 'the white supremacy is built into this man'.
'Old habits die hard 'Boy' Not a joke,' one said, as another added: 'Joey loves that word 'boy'. Wonder where he picked that up?'
Others picked up on Biden's slip-up forgetting LL Cool J's name, with one declaring 'dementia is setting in'.
Biden’s gaffe comes at a time when his administration is actively trying to bolster support among young black voters. However, recent polls showed a sharp decline in his approval rating among members of this demographic. A Highland Project poll showed that a whopping 69 percent of millennial and Gen Z black women are dissatisfied with the direction the country is heading. AEI’s Survey Center on American Life showed that only 21 percent of black voters between the ages of 18 and 49 want Biden to be the Democratic nominee for 2024.
Biden making these missteps is certainly not helping his campaign – at least among black voters. But it is also the reality that his policies have not done much to help the black community, despite his pandering to other groups like illegal immigrants and others.
Of course, it is important to note that this does not necessarily mean black voters will swing to Republicans. Most won’t. In fact, if this trend persists, many African Americans will stay home on election day instead of turning out for Democrats in the same numbers they have in the past.
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