In a very short clip during the first night of the Democratic National Convention in Milwaulkee, Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-SC) praised Joe Biden for being a leader that Black people can count on.
"We know Joe," Clyburn said. "And Joe knows us."
But in May, Clyburn sang a slightly different tune when Biden told a Black morning radio host that if he supported Trump, "you ain't Black."
Clyburn said in an interview days later that he "cringed" when he heard the remark.
"I cringed," Clyburn said. "No question about that."
James Clyburn said he “cringed” when he heard Joe Biden’s racist “you ain’t black” remark. pic.twitter.com/4CdxsJKnQG
— Trump War Room - Text TRUMP to 88022 (@TrumpWarRoom) August 18, 2020
Clyburn gave a glowing report of Biden on Monday night during the virtual convention from his home state of South Carolina, leaning hard on the racial division in the United States sparked by the Memorial Day death of George Floyd.
"The ground beneath our feet is seeded with pain that is both old and new," Clyburn said. "We will need a president who sees unifying people as a requirement of the job."
Biden repeated his insinuation that Black Americans were not diverse during a call with the National Association of Black Journalists in early August.
"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 later said he didn't mean the things he said.
.@JoeBiden: “Unlike the African-American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community" pic.twitter.com/CFO4Q40jEI
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) August 6, 2020
Clyburn, a leading member of the Congressional Black Caucus, is largely credited with turning the tide of Joe Biden's waning presidential bid with an 11th-hour endorsement of the former vice president ahead of the South Carolina primary.