Biden clarifies comments comparing diversity in Latino and Black communities
Biden implied that the Black community was not diverse in thought
Joe Biden is once again facing backlash over comments about Black voters and is issuing a clarification about his poor choice of words.
The questionable moment occurred Thursday during a video interview hosted by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.
During the teleconference, NPR reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro inquired if the former vice president would “re-engage” with the Cuban government and extend Temporary Protective Status for Latino immigrants seeking asylum.
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In response to these two issues that affect Cuban voters in Florida – a demographic that has been more pro-Trump than Latinos in other areas – Biden responded, “Yes, yes. And by the way, what you all know, but most people don’t know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community with incredibly different attitudes about different things,” Biden said.
He continued, “you go to Florida, you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when you’re in Arizona, so it’s a very diverse community.”
Biden took to social media to clarify his comments which implied that the Black voting bloc was monolithic.
“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,” Biden tweeted Thursday.
“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,” he continued.
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Biden pledged to do better.
“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,” he wrote.
Despite the walk-back of his words, Biden drew criticism from President Donald Trump and his re-election campaign.
“Joe Biden this morning totally disparaged and insulted the Black community,” Trump told press outside White House.
“What he said is incredible, and I don’t know what’s going on with him, but it was a very insulting statement he made … It was a great insult to the Black community.”
Symone Sanders, who is a senior adviser for the Biden campaign, responded to to ABC News in a statement.
“If you look at the full video and transcript, it’s clear that Vice President Biden was referring to diversity of attitudes among Latinos from different Latin American countries. The video that is circulating is conveniently cut to make this about racial diversity but that’s not the case,” she said.
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