House Majority Whip James Clyburn (D-SC), now the highest-ranking black member of Congress, said he “cringed” when he heard former Vice President Joe Biden’s remark to voters that they “ain’t black” if they are considering a vote for President Trump in November.
“I cringed, no question about that,” the South Carolina lawmaker said in an interview with “The View” Tuesday morning.
Rep. James Clyburn tells us he “cringed” at Joe Biden’s “ain’t black” comment, but says Biden “is not a perfect person — none of us are.”
“I would not have supported him if I did not think he was best suited to be the next president of the United States.” https://t.co/pmnCrwmnmq pic.twitter.com/5ZZmgghlvd
— The View (@TheView) May 26, 2020
Biden appeared on “The Breakfast Club,” a radio show that has gained popularity among black millennials, no doubt hoping to win over a cohort of young black voters. But Biden ended up having to apologize after sparking criticism for telling host Charlamagne tha God “if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”
Clyburn, who made an emotional early endorsement of Biden ahead of the South Carolina primary, has been credited with helping the former vice president by mobilizing black voters in the state and effectively helping Biden win more than 60 percent of black voters in South Carolina amid a then-crowded Democratic primary. That victory was repeated days later on Super Tuesday, when Biden claimed 10 of the 14 states on the ballot.
Despite Biden’s recent missteps, Clyburn seized the opportunity on “The View” to urge voters to compare the former vice president “to the alternative, not the almighty.”
“He knows the African American community very well,” Clyburn said. “I would not have supported him if I did not think he was best suited to be the next president of the United States.”
