During his address at the NAACP’s annual convention, President Joe Biden hinted at the potential for Vice President Kamala Harris to become president, amid increasing calls for him to withdraw from the 2024 race. The remark comes as Biden faces scrutiny over his age and leadership capabilities.
“She’s not only a great vice president, she could be president of the United States,” Biden, 81, stated, praising Harris’s role in his administration.
If Biden were to step aside, Harris would be the most likely Democratic candidate for the presidency. Despite criticisms about her effectiveness and low approval ratings, she remains in a prime position to succeed Biden if he were to step down. However, Biden provided no indication that he intends to drop out of the race. On the contrary, he detailed plans for his first 100 days of a potential second term, including a firm commitment to sign voting-rights legislation.
In his speech, Biden did not shy away from criticizing former President Donald Trump, who recently survived an assassination attempt at a Pennsylvania rally. Biden highlighted the need to reduce the hostility in the political climate, referencing a rare Oval Office address in which he called on Americans to “lower the temperature” of the campaign.
“Donald Trump’s presidency was hell for black America,” Biden asserted, condemning Trump’s record on racial issues and his administration’s response to the 2020 protests following George Floyd’s murder. Biden also criticized the National Guard’s handling of the riots, questioning, “What the hell’s the matter with this man?”
Biden took aim at Trump’s claims about job creation for Black Americans, accusing him of deceit. “I love this phrase, ‘black jobs’, tells us a lot about the man and about his character,” Biden remarked, pointing out the historic significance of his own administration. “Folks, I know what a black job is. It’s the vice president of the United States. I know what a black job is: the first black president in American history, Barack Obama.”
The president also recalled Trump’s promotion of the birther conspiracy against Obama, noting, “Trump is a guy who spread the birthism lie about Barack Obama, saying he wasn’t born in America and he wasn’t a US citizen.” Biden warned that Republican policies would “undo everything the NAACP stands for.”
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