When former Vice President Joe Biden told radio host Charlamagne tha God that he "ain't black" if he votes to re-elect President Trump, black voters were rightly offended.
In the latest episode of Black Voices for Trump's "Real Talk Online," a group of individuals who Biden would not consider black explained why they're proudly voting to re-elect the president. Senior Advisor to the Trump Campaign Katrina Pierson hosted the panel, sporting a "You Ain't Black" t-shirt to troll the former VP.
“From day one, President Trump has been a staunch defender and stalwart supporter of Black Americans across the country, and his 'Promises Made, Promises Kept' agenda has provided unprecedented results,” Pierson said. “While Joe Biden’s incessant record of racism has never been vetted by the mainstream media conglomerates, we will no longer let white Liberal elitists or the fake news media define what it means to be black in this country.”
Pierson was joined by Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board member and CEO of Chickasaw Community Bank T.W. Shannon, and Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board member and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission Ken Blackwell.Shannon, who joined the broadcast with Trump's book "The Art of the Deal" displayed behind him, said he wasn't surprised by Biden's incendiary remarks because "this is the guy who once referred to his running mate Barack Obama as being 'clean' and 'inarticulate.'" Biden, Shannon said, was ironically being "honest" when he suggested black voters should be Democrats.
"Not only is it offensive to me, it's offensive to my African American children, it's offensive to my entire family and he should spend the rest of his campaign apologizing to our community, because what he said was outrageous," Shannon said.
"Uncle Joe, the 1950s called and they want their policy back," Shannon continued. "This is 2020 and I can't believe that we have a candidate who thinks in his mind that he is able to define what it means to be black."
Blackwell added that Biden has demonstrated a "discernible pattern of disrespect that Biden has exhibited over the years." And his latest comments won't be forgotten.
“Joe Biden has no respect for African American voters who think independently and wants to control our community like the Democrats have been doing for decades,” said Ken Blackwell, Black Voices for Trump Advisory Board member and former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Human Rights Commission. “The choice in this election could not be clearer: while President Trump has created opportunity and prosperity within the Black community, Joe Biden promotes and defends the status quo of poverty and marginalization.”
Biden offered a non-apology apology in which he said he shouldn't have been such a "wise guy" or so "cavalier." But not before his campaign staff tried to downplay his language as being "in jest."
Pierson quipped that Blackwell may not be black anymore by Biden's standards, but she wondered if he could explain how he became a conservative.
Blackwell, who lived in public housing for part of his childhood, said his father instilled in him and his brother to work hard and to take risks. He later became mayor and ran city hall, which was only a half mile from the public housing community in which he once lived.
Now for the risk part. In 1990, Blackwell and his wife took a second mortgage out on their home and they joined a small group of four other African Americans and bought a radio station that would quickly expand to 22 stations and created jobs for several families.
"I don't need Joe Biden to tell me that I'm not black," Blackwell said. "I've lived a black experience and I'm proud of it."
Shannon said he got his conservative credentials while growing up in the Bethlehem Baptist Church, full of people who believed in the dignity of hard work.
"It's not a government handout that's going to make a difference in life," he said.
Blackwell and Shannon aren't just critical of Biden's racist words. They disagree strongly with his policy agenda too. Blackwell is drawn to Trump's agenda because it prioritizes opportunities for Americans, as opposed to the Democrats who want to expand the welfare state. Shannon agreed that Trump is the only candidate in the race who has "moved the needle" in terms of jobs and household income.
That gave Blackwell an opportunity to flip Biden's argument on its head.
"If you're for religious liberty, you're for Donald Trump," Blackwell said matter-of-factly. "If you're for economic prosperity and opportunity, you're for Donald Trump."