Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden on Thursday backtracked after he claimed “the African American community is a monolith.”
“By the way, what you all know but most people dont 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 during a pre-taped interview hosted by the National Association of Hispanic Journalists and the National Association of Black Journalists.
“You go to Florida, you find a very different attitude about immigration in certain places than you do when youre in Arizona. So its a very different, a very diverse community.”
Bidens remarks came in response to a question from NPR reporter Lulu Garcia-Navarro regarding whether he would engage with Cuba and on the differing immigration concerns between Cuban and Venezuelan Americans.
Biden did not apologize for his comments but said in a series of Twitter posts that he wanted to “clarify” them.
“In no way did I mean to suggest the African American community is a monolith—not by identity, not on issues, not at all,” he wrote.
“Throughout my career Ive witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community. Its this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place. 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.”
President Donald Trump responded to the comments outside the White House on Thursday, telling reporters at the White House that Biden “totally disparaged and insulted the black community.”
“What he said is incredible. And I dont know whats going on with him, but it was a very insulting statement he made. And I guess youll figure that out. Youll see it in a little while. But it was a great insult to the black community,” he added.
Katrina Pierson, a Trump senior campaign adviser, said in a statement, “Theres a reason Joe Biden cant count on the support of black voters and its because of his plantation owner mentality. President Trump has a true record of helping black Americans, with unprecedented economic opportunity, record funding for HBCUs, criminal justice reform, and support for school choice.”
