President Biden spoke out Wednesday about some of the most pressing issues facing Black Americans, including inflation, abortion and general dissatisfaction with the Democratic Party.
Biden, in an interview with BET’s Ed Gordon, said Republicans will have to “point out” what’s at stake and what they want to do if former President Trump takes office.
“It’s important for people to know they are respected and cared for,” Biden said. “We’re going to change this, but it’s going to take time, and we have to keep trying.”
Biden was asked by Gordon how he plans to deliver on campaign promises, including restoring abortion rights.
Biden has promised to pressure Democrats in the House and Senate even if the Supreme Court chooses not to reinstate Roe v. Wade.
“All we have to do is get 51 members of the House and the Senate together and say, ‘This is it,’ and I’ll sign the bill,” Biden said.
Biden, who is working to rebuild the coalition of Black voters that put him in the White House in 2020, highlighted his administration’s success in enacting change for Black Americans.
While these successes include symbolic measures, such as recognizing Juneteenth as a federal holiday, some have direct impacts on Black Americans across the country.
“Look at the lowest unemployment rate ever. Look at how many jobs are being created,” Biden said. “Look at how many people can get a college education now that their debt has been wiped out. Look at what’s actually happening on the ground. Look at the fight that’s being fought right now.”
But when Biden spoke about home ownership and building wealth through his father, Gordon pushed back against the president.
“Homeownership builds wealth. That’s what middle-class white people did. That’s how my father was able to buy a home,” Biden said.
“But do you understand that the standards for your father and for white men in this country are very different from the standards for African-American men?” Gordon asked.
Biden was quick to answer yes, but also said he was grateful that his father was a working-class man and that he, his parents and his grandparents lived in a multigenerational household.
Gordon ended his line of questioning by urging Biden to speak directly to black voters.
“The excitement this time is different than it was the last time we won,” Gordon said. “There’s a certain sense of disillusionment. Detroit, Philadelphia, Atlanta are going to be the determining factors for the 270 you have to get to. I want you to take a moment to say to black Americans: Why should they rally around you?”
“Because you know where my heart is,” Biden responded.
