I've seen some crazy political stuff on social media, but sometimes I encounter something that really takes the cake.
Case in point: when I pointed out to one particular woman how nakedly racist Donald Trump is, she actually responded with a laundry-list of attacks casting Joe Biden as the racist one.
No, really!
This line of attack is not really so old. It was most lately used by Nikki Haley in her bid for the Republican nomination in 2024. But it's still silly, regardless of whose mouth it comes out of.
I'm going to go through the entire list, and deal with them all. That's tiring, exhausting, and ought to be unnecessary in a sane world. But I love you all out there, and I love the truth, too. So it's worth a trudge through the weeds. But to keep things fun, I will also juxtapose that debunking with some of the many examples of Trump's blunt, obvious racism to remind the reader what a real racist looks like.
There were 14 lines of attack this oddball woman blasted at me, but I came across the original American Presidency Project web page and found that there were actually 23. What they show isn't a racist man, but rather one who tried to walk a tightrope between his constituents, who were not as liberal as he was when it came to integration, and his principles, which he didn't want to compromise, but did slightly in order to remain a Senator. In 1972, he was in favor of busing. But when his constituents loudly protested this, he changed his tune. By 1974, he took a nuanced but tough stand against school busing, while still arguing in favor of integration in other ways - something which allowed him to appease his more conservative constituents in Wilmington, Delaware, while still appearing progressive, at least on paper. He later came to regret this, but it was a calculated political move, not a racist one. Naturally, he's not the same man today.
Here is the worst the opposition can dig up about Biden's journey of self-change, compared with Trump's actual racist track record:
1) From 1971 to 1974, Biden's legal residence had a deed barring ownership by African Americans.
I believe it. My parent's old house on the north side of Milwaukee had a similar statement on its deed. (I remember being shocked when I saw it among their old papers after they passed!) But such phrases were standard inserts done by racist mortgage bankers during that era. The Fair Housing Act of 1968 rendered all such clauses illegal, but in the years that followed, many of the bankers kept putting the clause in anyway. Biden had no hand in it. So whether or not it was on the deed to Biden's home is moot. It wasn't Biden who wrote it, and it didn't legally count.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In 1973, Donald, his father, and Trump Management were sued by the Justice Department for racial discrimination (along with some other property owners) because of a policy against renting apartments to African-Americans. The case was settled out of court to avoid negative publicity, but the charge was valid. Donald tried counter-suing the Justice Department for $100 million for making false statements. That counter-suit attempt was dismissed out of hand.
2) In 1974, Biden made an analogy of himself as a 29 year old in the Senate to being a "token black."
Biden did indeed say this. There's video footage of it. But he was joking about how he was able to raise money in a world where nobody wanted to contribute to a 29-year-old. In 1974, that was a joke that didn't raise much dander. It doesn't sound very good by today's standards, but it hardly makes Biden a racist.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: Perhaps Trump's most famous racist line is the one which he used when he first launched his presidential bid in 2015: "When Mexico sends its people, they're not sending their best... They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us. They're bringing drugs, they're bringing crime, they're rapists, and some, I assume, are good people." [Why the HELL would anyone have to "assume" THAT part?!]
3) In 1975, Biden asked if "the only way a black man or woman can learn is if they rub shoulders with my white child?"
Yes, Biden said this. There's a transcript of the entire interview here. But it's taken out of context. Biden was clarifying his opposition to busing. He didn't opposed it because he endorsed the racism of others who opposed it, but because he felt back then that it didn't accomplish its primary goal of integration. He felt instead that it encouraged quotas, which he said encouraged mediocrity.
Now, that argument wouldn't fly today! It's a similar argument that's often been used against Affirmative Action measures. But since conservatives are universally using this same argument today, and they insist they are not racist for doing so, how can it be used to tarnish Biden as racist by 1975 standards?
Bear in mind, in this same interview, Biden was asked, "Could you support [George] Wallace [for president]?" To which Biden answers, "No, I could not support George Wallace as the Democratic presidential or vice-presidential candidate under any circumstances. He's the only one I could say that about for certain." Remember that quote, it will be important later on. He said other negative things about Wallace in that interview as well.
Actual Example of Racism by Donald Trump: It's a well-publicized fact that Trump kept and read a book of speeches by Adolf Hitler which he kept at his bedside. This revelation came from a 1990 interview in Vanity Fair, published shortly after Donald divorced his first wife, Ivana. The magazine reported: "Last April, perhaps in a surge of Czech nationalism, Ivana Trump told her lawyer Michael Kennedy that from time to time her husband reads a book of Hitler's collected speeches, 'My New Order,' which he keeps in a cabinet by his bed." Vanity Fair reporter Marie Brenner followed up on this and asked Trump if his cousin had given up a copy of the book to him. Trump responded: "Actually, it was my friend Marty Davis from Paramount who gave me a copy of 'Mein Kampf,' and he's a Jew." Brenner then asked Marty Davis whether he gave Trump a copy of the book. "I did give him a book about Hitler,' Davis told her. "But it was 'My New Order,' Hitler's speeches, not 'Mein Kampf.' I thought he would find it interesting. I am his friend, but I'm not Jewish."
4) In 1977, Biden said that busing would cause his children to grow up in "a racial jungle."
Yes, Biden said this in a hearing before a Senate Committee Hearing on the Judiciary. But again, this is taken out of context. He was again giving his nuanced opinion against busing. But before he did, he said this:
"We have a fundamental disagreement, you and I [referring to Sen. Martin Greenburg of New Jersey] I suspect, as to what is needed to insure that we do have orderly integration of society. [Emphasis mine.] I am not just talking about education but all of society."
These are not the words of a racist! He then goes on to say:
"Unless we do something about this, my children are going to grow up in a jungle, the jungle being a racial jungle with tensions having built so high that it is going to explode at some point. We have got to make some move on this."
In other words, Biden was in favor of integration. He just didn't think busing was the way to do it.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: Perhaps Trump's most infamous quote was in reference to a horrible incident in Charlottesville, Virginia known as the 'Unite the Right Rally,' which took place on August 11th & 12th of 2017. Sparked by opposition to the removal of a statue of General Robert E. Lee, it had large numbers of alt-right extremists, including neo-Confederates, neo-fascists, white nationalists, neo-Nazis, Klansmen, and far-right militias. Some groups chanted racist and anti-Semitic slogans and carried weapons. There were clearly visible Nazi and neo-Nazi symbols, the Valknut, and Confederate battle flags, among others. On August 12th, these protesters clashed with counter-protesters and the scene turned violent. Governor Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency and called in the National Guard to clear the area. As the crowds dispersed, a white supremacist plowed his truck into a crowd of counter-protesters, killing 1 and injuring 35 others. In Trump's initial statement following this tragedy, he famously said, "But we’re closely following the terrible events unfolding in Charlottesville, Virginia. We condemn in the strongest possible terms this egregious display of hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides, on many sides. [Emphasis mine.] It’s been going on for a long time in our country."
Now, to be absolutely fair, Trump did condemn hatred, bigotry, and violence. Right-wing talking heads seize upon this to insist Trump was not actually siding with the neo-Nazis and scream themselves hoarse about this. And Trump did indeed later exclude his statement from the neo-Nazi contingent of the crowd. But he did so belatedly. He did not immediately condemn the neo-Nazis. And the initial statement, which included the "on many sides, on many sides" comment, made it seem as though he were putting the white racists on equal moral footing with their protesters. Finally, two days later, he stepped up and said, "Racism is evil, and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs."
When a reporter followed up with Trump regarding this on August 15th, asking why it had taken 48 hours for this statement, Trump said, "...you had some very bad people in that group, but you also had people that were very fine people, on both sides." Again making moral equivalence between neo-Nazis and those who oppose them.
It should go without saying, but no one who marches with neo-Nazis, whether they were "just there to protest the removal of a statue" or not, counts as "very fine people."
Trump did backpedal. He did eventually qualify his initial statements. But it was too little, too late. This was an unforced error he made while speaking off-the-cuff, one which betrayed his true loyalties and racist nature. And he did it TWICE within three days. No spin-doctoring by right-wing apologists can change that.
5) In 1977, Biden voted against Black Justice Department nominees specifically over his opposition to busing.
True, but not the whole story. In fact, by now, it should be clear that Biden was one of the lone liberals opposing busing for reasons of "letting the perfect be the enemy of the good." Thing is, he already knew these nominees were foregone conclusions for approval. Biden cast his one vote against, not because he disapproved of the black justices themselves (in fact he openly praised them), but as a protest vote on the one issue he disagreed with them about.
Actual Example of Racism by Donald Trump: In April 2005, Trump appeared on the Howard Stern radio show, and proposed that the fourth season of The Apprentice would feature an exclusively white team of blondes competing against a team of only African-Americans. Stern asked Trump if that would start a "racial war", to which Trump replied: "it would be handled very beautifully by me ... I'm very diplomatic." Naturally, NBC rejected the proposal. When the actual fourth season of The Apprentice concluded, Trump dared to ask the male African-American winner of the season, Randal Pinkett, to share the honor with the runner-up, a white woman. Pinkett refused and rightly called Trump out for his racism.
6) In 1977, Biden said he asked to join the Senate Judiciary Committee specifically to lead the charge against busing.
Sensing a theme, here? I am. He was apparently successful in getting onto the committee. He was not successful in stopping busing.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: On Monday, November 7, 2016, the eve of the election, Trump mocked hip-hop music, criticizing a performance Jay Z and Beyonce delivered at a rally for Hillary Clinton. “The language is so bad and as they were singing – singing right? Was it talking or singing?"
7) In 1979, Biden voted to allow racially segregated private schools to keep their tax exempt status.
They key here is to note how those schools were "segregated." They didn't have actual segregated policies. Rather, housing and the phenomenon of "white flight" resulted in all-white schools in the deep suburbs. Biden even called these "white flight schools." Since Biden opposed busing, he was able to vote against the integration of those schools on anti-busing grounds. It was cold, but again, a politically calculated move. The people of Delaware are different today. So is Biden.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In 2011, Trump seized upon the conspiracy theory, originally launched by certain Hillary Clinton supporters, that Barack Obama's birth certificate wasn't real, that he was born overseas, and that he therefore wasn't a U.S. Citizen. It made him a hero on FoxNews. This was debunked right away by newspaper articles announcing Barack Obama's birth in Hawaii. Obama himself eventually released a scan of his birth certificate to the press, though he insisted for a time he shouldn't have to for such ridiculous nonsense. Nevertheless, Trump continued to insist Obama was foreign-born for years afterward. Even after 2017, when he finally begrudgingly admitted Obama's birth certificate was genuine, he privately muttered that he doubted whether it was real. This was undoubtedly the point in Trump's life when he realized just how powerful the Right Wing Media Cult truly was.
8) In 1981, Biden said George Wallace was "right about some things."
This is severely misleading. This was at a different Judiciary hearing, and Biden again reiterated his pro-integration stance while insisting busing was not the way to do it. He then went on to say:
"One of the reasons I was reluctant to say anything is that I did not want to be associated with these folks [meaning Wallace or his like]. I did not like being near them. I did not want to be with them. I did not want to be any part of it. I figured, if George Wallace was saying it, then it had to be bad."
Here, Biden is interrupted by someone who says, "You were right then, Senator."
Biden continues, "I am right. I was right then about him and his motivation. But sometimes even George Wallace is right about some things."
Clearly, this was giving only a very slight concession to Wallace after completely damning him. Not exactly a Wallace sympathizer, was he?
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In 2013, the State of New York filed a $40 million civil suit against Trump University alleging that the company had made false statements and defrauded consumers. Two class-action civil lawsuits were also filed naming Trump personally as well as his companies. During the presidential campaign, Trump criticized Judge Gonzalo P. Curiel who oversaw those two cases, alleging bias in his rulings because he is "a Mexican judge. He’s of Mexican heritage." (Although his parents immigrated from Mexico, Judge Curiel is an American citizen, born in East Chicago, Indiana.) Trump said that Curiel would have "an absolute conflict" due to his Mexican heritage which led to accusations of racism. Immediately following this, the Speaker of the House, Republican Paul Ryan (Wisconsin), who was also a Trump supporter, commented, "I disavow these comments. Claiming a person can't do the job because of their race is sort of like the textbook definition of a racist comment. I think that should be absolutely disavowed. It's absolutely unacceptable."
9) In 1984, Biden used the word "boy" to refer to Jesse Jackson.
Misleading. Here's the actual quote:
"He [Jackson] is one of the brightest guys around. That boy ain’t no dummy, just like Gary Hart, that boy ain’t no dummy either."
Both Gary Hart and Jesse Jackson were Democratic candidates for president that year. (The nomination would eventually go to Walter Mondale.) But Biden correctly pointed out that he also used the term "boy" on Gary Hart, who was white. He said he didn't intend the term to be racially disparaging against Jesse Jackson and apologized. In fact, it's quite obvious in context that Biden was giving Jackson a compliment.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: On August 19, 2015, two white men (who later pled guilty to the attack) assaulted a man who was sleeping outside a subway station in Boston. Police detained the assailants, and one of them confessed his motivation for the attack: "Donald Trump was right, all these illegals need to be deported." When Trump was informed about the incident later that day at a news conference, he responded without condemning the men at all! He said: "I haven’t heard about that. It would be a shame...I will say that people who are following me are very passionate. They love this country and they want this country to be great again."
10) In 1985, Biden made a favorable comparison between segregationist Senator John Stennis and Confederate General Stonewall Jackson.
In other words, Biden is a racist, not for saying actual racist things, but merely by giving a compliment, that's all, just a compliment, about a segregationist Senator from the Deep South - one of the last of the conservative Dixiecrats before all the Southern conservatives switched their allegiance to the Republican party (because that's where all the racism migrated to from the 60's through the 90's).
We need to know something about John C. Stennis. He was indeed a supporter of segregation. He was also an opponent of the voting rights acts of the 1960's. But Stennis later came around and reformed. He made no apology for his earlier views, but came to embrace civil rights. Biden wrote about it in his autobiography 'Promises to Keep.' He described an encounter with the older senator in 1989 when Stennis retired and Biden moved into his old office. Biden recounts him saying, "You see this table, Joe? This table was the flagship of the Confederacy from 1954 to 1968. We sat here, most of us from the Deep South, the old Confederacy, and we planned the demise of the civil rights movement. And we lost. And, Joe, now it’s time that this table go from the possession of a man who was against civil rights to a man who was for civil rights." Stennis later said, "The civil rights movement did more to free the white man than the black man." When Biden gave him a quizzical look, Stennis pounded his chest and said, "It freed my soul. It freed my soul."
Bear this in mind later on, because Stennis will be referenced again.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: At a rally in Birmingham, Alabama on November 21, 2015, Trump falsely claimed that he had seen television reports about "thousands and thousands" of Arab Americans in New Jersey celebrating as the World Trade Center collapsed during the 9/11 attacks. This, of course, never happened. In an interview with George Stephanopoulos, Trump doubled-down on the assertion, insisting that "there were people that were cheering on the other side of New Jersey, where you have large Arab populations."
11) In 1987, Biden "sought to appeal to white voters" by touting an award he received from George Wallace in 1973 where he praised Biden as "one of the outstanding young politicians in America."
Once again, the old "guilt by association and not actual position" is being played.
First, for those who don't know, George Wallace was a segregationist who left the Democratic party and campaigned as an independent opposing segregation in 1968, acting as a spoiler against Lyndon Johnson's VP Hubert Humphrey, who helped Johnson pass the Voting Rights Act. This helped secure Richard Nixon the White House. Since then, Wallace has been remembered by historians as one of the most nakedly racist politicians in history.
There's no record of Biden ever receiving an award from George Wallace. But it's just possible that in 1973, Wallace may have had enough lingering sympathies towards the Democratic party that he praised Joe Biden. But that's a far cry from Biden endorsing Wallace's views, and by the same token, doesn't mean Wallace entirely endorsed Biden's, either.
Remember #3 above? Where Biden said that he wouldn't endorse Wallace no matter what? I told you that would be key later on. Yeah. Biden never really liked Wallace. Never.
Actual Example of Racism by Donald Trump: In his 1991 book 'Trumped!' John O'Donnell quoted Trump as allegedly saying: "I've got black accountants at Trump Castle and at Trump Plaza. Black guys counting my money! I hate it. The only kind of people I want counting my money are short guys wearing yarmulkes.... Those are the only kind of people I want counting my money. Nobody else... Besides that, I've got to tell you something else. I think that the guy's lazy. And it's probably not his fault because laziness is a trait in blacks." Trump later told Playboy magazine in an interview published in 1997, "The stuff O'Donnell wrote about me is probably true." (Two years later, when seeking the nomination of the Reform Party for president, Trump finally denied having made the statement.)
12) During his 1988 campaign, Biden falsely claimed he was part of the civil rights movement, saying he "marched" in his "youth."
There was an incident in Delaware in February of 1959 (Biden would have been 16) in which the desegregation of a place called Collins Park was protested. Biden says he was there, but it's unclear what exactly he was doing. In earlier versions of the story, Biden says that police "took him home." Much later, on the Howard Stern Show in 2022, Biden said he'd "been arrested."
There's no record of any role the young Biden may have played in this incident. His earlier accounts that police picked him up and took him home are probably more believable than the ones he told later in life. FactCheck.org rated Biden's claim as false. That's fair, in so much as he certainly wasn't "arrested." But that's a far cry from being a racist. He probably did participate in the pro-civil-rights demonstrations in some way. But we'll probably never really know for sure.
Actual Example of Racism by Donald Trump: On April 19, 1989, a white woman named Trisha Meili was brutally raped in Central Park. Police arrested five young black and Latino men and charged them with the crime. They came to be known as "The Central Park Five." They were tried, found guilty, and sentenced. Trump took out full page ads in the New York papers on May 1st, 1989, calling for these five to receive the death penalty. But later, in 2001, a man named Matias Reyes confessed to the crime. Based on that confession, the case was re-tried in 2002, and DNA evidence exonerated the Central Park Five. (They were later known as "The Exonerated Five.") Trump never retracted or apologized for his attempt to have these five minority men executed. Furthermore, a slightly earlier highly-publicized rape and murder of a black woman (May 4, 1989) who was thrown off a four-story roof, received no attention from Trump at all. And in June 2019 in response to Ken Burns' documentary and the Netflix miniseries 'When They See Us,' Trump doubled down on his previous statements, saying "You have people on both sides of that. They admitted their guilt."
13) In 2006, Biden said, "You cannot go to a 7-11 or a Dunkin Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent."
Biden did indeed say this. But here's the complete quote:
"I've had a great relationship. In Delaware, the largest growth in population is Indian-Americans moving from India. You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking,"
Now, obviously he probably meant to say something like, "You can't go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts without hearing a slight Indian accent." But however he meant to phrase it, he clearly was trying to pay a compliment to Indian-Americans, not disparage them.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In August 2016 Trump campaigned in Maine, which has a large immigrant Somali population. At a rally he said, "We've just seen many, many crimes getting worse all the time, and as Maine knows—a major destination for Somali refugees—right, am I right?" But the police chief of Lewiston, Maine (which is home to the largest population of Maine Somalis), set the record straight. He said Somalis had integrated into the city and they had not caused an increase in crime. In fact, he said, crime was actually going down, not up.
14) In his 2007 book, 'Promises To Keep,' Biden admitted that, as a young person, he had "no real relationships with black people."
Yeah, I'll buy that. Then he became the VP of the first black president. I dare say he found a real relationship with a black person.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: The number of racist Tweets Trump put out on Twitter are too numerous to recount here. But during his 2016 campaign, he was found to have retweeted the main influencers of the #WhiteGenocide movement over 75 times! Twice he even retweeted a user with the handle @WhiteGenocideTM.
15) In 2007, Biden called then-Sen. Barack Obama "the first mainstream African American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy."
Yeah, this one was a gaff. Obviously Barack Obama wasn't the first. He wasn't even the first to have run for president. (Jesse Jackson or Ambassador Alan Keyes come to mind.) But a slight gaff like this is hardly indicative that one is a racist, and saying so is just wishful thinking. At this point in the "list," people are just piling on for the sake of piling on.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In June 2016, at a rally in Redding, California, Trump pointed to a man in the audience—Gregory Cheadle, a real estate broker—and said, "Look at my African American over here. Look at him. Are you the greatest?" Cheadle later declared in 2019 that he was so unhappy with Trump's "white superiority complex" and the "pro-white" Republican Party's usage of blacks as "political pawns" that he was leaving the Republican Party.
16) In 2010, Biden delivered a 22-minute eulogy, the longest speech, at Senator Robert Byrd's (D-WV) memorial service, calling the former KKK member a "friend," "mentor," and "guide."
Again, this is an attempt at "guilt by association." A similar line of attack was levied against Hillary Clinton in 2016. But Robert Byrd was a reformed man. A former KKK member who spoke out against his former views later in life. Why not eulogize such a man? We should champion such transformations, not cite them as a way to demonize others.
Actual Example of Racism by Donald Trump: In the late 90's, Indian casinos were beginning to compete with Trump's Atlantic City casinos, threatening his investments there. So, working with Roger Stone, he spent millions on an advertising campaign criticizing the proposal of building more Native American casinos in the Catskill Mountains. The ads, falsely claiming to be funded by "grass-roots, pro-family" donors, alluded to Mohawk Indians doing cocaine and bringing violence, asking: "Are these the new neighbors we want?" In 2000, Trump and his associates were fined $250,000 for this stunt and forced to publicly apologize.
17) In 2016, Biden praised segregationist Senator John Stennis as a "friend" and an "honorable" man.
Remember #10 above? Stennis was opposed to civil rights at first. But he reformed later on. Although he never apologized for his former views, and he only did so after his side lost, he expressed relief that the civil rights side of the argument won. That's why Biden called him "honorable."
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In a February 2017 presidential press conference, White House press correspondent April Ryan (a black woman) asked Trump if he would involve the Congressional Black Caucus when making plans for executive orders affecting inner city areas. Trump replied, "Well, I would. I tell you what. Do you want to set up the meeting?" Ryan responded that she was just a reporter. Trump then said, "Are they friends of yours?" The New York Times later wrote that Trump was "apparently oblivious to the racial undertones of posing such a query to a black journalist". Another journalist, Jonathan Capehart commented, "Does he think that all black people know each other and she's going to go run off and set up a meeting for him?"
18) In 2019, Biden recalled the era when "he was able to get along with segregationist senators."
"Getting along with" and agreeing with are two totally different things. Duh.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: Also, when a member of the Congressional Black Caucus told Trump that cuts to welfare programs would hurt her constituents, "not all of whom are black", Trump had a tone-deaf moment. He replied, "Really? Then what are they?" (Most welfare recipients are actually white.)
19) In 2019, Biden boasted that segregationist Senator James Eastland called him son, not boy.
Here's the full quote: "I was in a caucus with James O. Eastland. He never called me boy. He always called me son."
So what? It's true, Eastland was a segregationist from Mississippi. But cordiality and civility between people does not equate to them always agreeing. If anything, it just shows Biden is nice to everybody.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In June 2017, Trump called together a staff meeting to complain about the number of immigrants who had entered the country since his inauguration. The New York Times reported that two officials heard Trump read off a sheet stating that 15,000 persons had visited from Haiti, at which point he commented, "They all have AIDS." And when he read further that 40,000 persons had visited from Nigeria, he said that after seeing America the Nigerians would never "go back to their huts." Both officials who heard Trump's statements relayed them to other staff members at the time, but the White House denied the quotes.
20) In 2019, Biden said the Obama administration went "into the hood" of Detroit to recruit minorities.
How, for the love of Pete, does a white politician simply using the word "hood" get taken as racism?
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In January of 2018, Trump referred to Haiti, African nations, and El Salvador as "shithole countries." (Remember that one?)
21) In 2019, Biden claimed a major problem Black communities face is illiteracy, saying Black "parents can't read or write themselves," leaving Black attendees "shocked and frustrated."
Biden made this gaff in a private meeting with black mayors in Georgia, and it was in 2018, not 2019. But the quote was resurrected in the New York Times in 2019 just as Biden was preparing for the primary vote in North Carolina. At the time, he was polling a distant fifth place for the Democratic nomination, trailing behind Pete Buttigieg, Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and Amy Klobuchar. As such, the New York Times article recounted that earlier gaff, and took the position that Biden was in trouble. But then Biden spoke with the pastor of Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church, where white supremacist Dylan Roof had shot 9 people during a service in 2015. Biden related the loss of his own son and sympathized, reminding him that he'd visited the congregation after that tragedy when he was Obama's VP. In so doing, he won over that minister, and with him, the entire black vote of North Carolina. He then carried North Carolina by such a wide margin that nearly all the other Democratic candidates dropped out.
It's quite clear that black voters remembered why they liked Biden in the first place. Had Biden been seen as racist, he couldn't have gotten as far as he did.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: Remember Hurricane Maria? In September 2017, after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico and decimated services across the island, the Mayor of San Juan Carmen Yulín Cruz went on television to plea for help and accused the federal response of fatal inefficiency. Trump responded with a series of tweets claiming that the Puerto Rican leadership were "not able to get their workers to help" because "They want everything to be done for them" while claiming that federal workers were doing a "fantastic job." But the death toll on the island reached into the thousands (something to bear in mind as Trump criticizes the response to Hurricane Helene, whose death toll, despite huge infrastructure damage, is only about 250 so far). Governor Andrew Cuomo of New York and others criticized the federal government and suggested that racism was partially to blame for the insufficient response. Given Trump's cavalier attitude while tossing rolls of paper towels to Puerto Rican residents afterward, that assessment was undoubtedly correct. Puerto Ricans were the wrong ethnicity for Trump to care!
22) In 2019, Biden said that "poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids."
Yes, this is one of Biden's classic gaffs. But one he apologized for, and one that doesn't necessarily indicate some sort of innate racism. He made the remarks in Iowa before the caucus there, but as the overwhelming support of blacks in North Carolina later showed, he was forgiven for this particular mistake.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In August of 2016, Colin Kaepernick made headlines by kneeling during national anthems at football games to protest police brutality against black people. Trump weighed in saying, "I think it's personally not a good thing, I think it's a terrible thing. And, you know, maybe he should find a country that works better for him. Let him try, it won't happen."
23) In 2020, Biden suggested some people were able to quarantine during Covid because "some black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf."
If this were a racist remark, what could it even mean? It makes no sense!
Actually, Biden was quoting a realization he believed the American public was having about the diversity of essential workers. Here's the complete quote:
"Because the American public, the blinders have been taken off. They all of the sudden see a hell of a lot clearer. They see, ‘Jeez, The reason I was able to stay sequestered in my home is because some Black woman was able to stack the grocery shelf, or a young Hispanic is out there, these dreamers are out there, 60,000 of them acting as first responders and nurses and docs.’ Or all of the sudden people are realizing, ‘My lord, you know, these people have done so much. Not just Black, white, across the board have done so much for me. We can do this. We can get things done.'"
In other words, many people could self-isolate against Covid thanks to a racially diverse workforce stepping up. Could Biden have phrased this better? Sure! But is it a racist remark? In context, no.
Actual Example of Racism by Trump: In her 2012 campaign for the Senate, Elizabeth Warren's opponent raised accusations concerning Warren's having listed partial Native American ancestry on her profile in a faculty directory. Warren denies that she ever claimed to be a minority for the purpose of securing employment, but one of her distant ancestors was Native American. But Trump sensed a controversy, and has freuently referred to her as "Pocahontas" ever since. He even did so at a White House event where he addressed Native American veterans who served in the US military during World War II. Warren responded: "It was deeply unfortunate that the President of the United States cannot even make it through a ceremony honoring these heroes without throwing out a racial slur."
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In the end, most of these attacks against Biden amount to Biden's stand against busing, or being civil towards the opposition, or just making gaffs. But it's clear that in his heart of hearts, Biden is not a racist. Trump is exactly the opposite. His racism is so bone-crunchingly obvious that I can scarcely believe he ever got one, single vote from anyone.
Meanwhile, we haven't even listed all of Trump's many racist quotes and tells. Things like proposing an idiotic border wall, or reversing Obama's guidelines on race being a factor to consider in college admissions, turning our nations military on unarmed, civilian migrant caravans, or delaying the replacing of racist Andrew Jackson on the twenty-dollar bill with Harriet Tubman until 2026, or telling the four female Congresswomen of "The Squad" to "go back to their countries" (even though all but one is a naturally-born US citizen), or attacking Baltimore Representative Elijah Cummings, or calling Jewish voters who support Democrats "disloyal," or inciting racist mass shootings such as the one in El Paso, Texas in August of 2019. The list goes on, and on, and on.
There's recognizing Trump as a racist, or there's being absolutely brain-dead. There's really no in-between at this point.
