In a desperate and almost hysterical attack, Joe Biden labeled Donald Trump a racist during a joint appearance with Kamala Harris in Philadelphia. Biden’s tirade against Trump was filled with inaccuracies and played into the exaggerated narrative that paints Trump as having a negative attitude towards black people.
Biden suggested that if black people had stormed the Capitol on January 6, Trump wouldn’t be “talking about pardons.” He continued with a series of unfounded attacks, accusing Trump of wanting to tear gas peaceful George Floyd protesters, maintaining the guilt of the exonerated Central Park Five, and denying housing applications based on race. He even criticized Trump for not saying “Black Lives Matter” and for supposedly using neo-Nazi terms.
The truth is, there were no peaceful protesters tear-gassed during the George Floyd riots, and the notion that Trump personally denied housing applications is absurd. Refusing to say “Black Lives Matter” is not an indication of racism; it simply means one doesn’t align with the movement’s political agenda. Biden’s speech wasn’t about truth; it was about playing into the victim mentality to rally black voters who might be drifting away from his camp.
Biden is losing support among black voters and desperately needs to regain it to stand a chance in November. He accused Trump of pushing the birtherism lie against Obama, but the story was already circulating in Clinton circles before Trump amplified it. Biden’s claim that Trump is pandering and peddling lies for votes is ironic, considering Biden’s own history of playing to racial stereotypes for political gain.
The New York Post reported that Biden, in an attempt to galvanize a mostly black audience, touted his achievements such as expanding healthcare access, holding police accountable, and creating a diverse administration. He emphasized the importance of black voters in the 2020 election, attributing his and Harris’s positions to their support.
Biden’s speech reflected the palpable desperation of his campaign. Fearmongering about a return to Jim Crow or even the revival of slavery might be next on his agenda to scare black voters into supporting him. The campaign is likely to get even uglier as Election Day approaches, revealing the lengths Biden will go to in order to secure votes.
