Joe Biden said the Black community is not as “diverse” as the Hispanic community. He didn’t clarify what he meant by that remark.
Biden made the comment during an interview with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists (NAHJ) which aired on Wednesday.
National Public Radio’s Lulu Garcia-Navarro asked Biden whether he would stop the deportation of Cubans, if elected president.
“I’m going to look at every single country in the world… this guy [President Donald Trump] is sending them back,” Biden said.
Biden assured Garcia-Navarro he would attempt to restore the Obama-Biden administration’s policy of improving relations with communist Cuba.
Biden then added:
“And by the way, 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 … it’s a very diverse community.”
.@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
Biden’s comment drew mixed reaction on Twitter.com, with some accusing him of being an overt racist.
Twitter user @jg091297 wrote: “He could have said ‘they all look alike to me’ and this would have sounded less racist.”
User @KenAndTonic tweeted: “Wonder how all of his VP candidates feel about this, you know, being all the same and everything.”
Wonder how all of his VP candidates feel about this, you know, being all the same and everything
— Ken (@KenAndTonic) August 6, 2020
User @NthingInPrtculr tweeted: “I’m Black and I find what Biden said incredibly condescending, clearly he thinks he can say whatever he wants & still get our votes & I fear that he is right.”
But some Black Democrats shrugged off Biden’s latest gaffe: @MrNicdraw wrote: “Still better than the alternative. Like wtf.”
Still better than the alternative. Like wtf.
— Dominique Collier (@MrNicdraw) August 6, 2020
I truly believe this guy is nuts, but believe it or not, I think I understood what he was trying to say.
The Latino community is freaking diverse. We do share common cultural treats, but also have unique differences.
I say this as a Latino myself.— Omar L.A. (@omarslopezarce) August 6, 2020
The black community is also incredibly diverse. There’s no excuse.
— no thanks (@nothanksbyetho) August 6, 2020
I believe he is saying the Latino community is more diverse, and I think he is correct. However, I do not think it was wise for him to say that.
— PoliticalAnt?(a.k.a. @JazzLuvnAnt?)????? (@PoliticalAnt) August 6, 2020
I’ve been going to school for too long to still not understand what the fuck he just said …
— 98’ allstar (@MostlyBucks) August 6, 2020
Starting to think there may be something to the theory of ditching Biden at the convention. He doesn't seem salvageable.
— justsuse (@DaLilSeagull) August 6, 2020
Sounds like he inadvertently exposed the democratic strategy and attitute towards AA, "just give them hip hop and basketball and they're happy"
— Faux Cousins (@DjukaMatauri) August 6, 2020
Let's see how CNN spins this
— Corey Dunn (@CoreyDunn_) August 6, 2020