Hello everyone! It looks like President Joe Biden has been busy ramping up his media appearances, and his recent interview with Complex’s Speedy Morman has given us plenty to talk about.
In this wide-ranging discussion on “360 With Speedy,” taped before the attempted assassination of Donald Trump but released on Monday, Biden tackled several hot topics, including Trump’s support in the hip-hop community. Let’s dive into the details.
Speedy Morman kicked things off by noting their limited time, though the edited clip still managed to stretch to nearly 20 minutes. One of the first questions aimed at Biden was about his age and why he decided to stay in the race. Biden, sticking to his guns, emphasized that he had “to finish the job.”
Next up, Speedy brought up Trump’s surprising appeal among some hip-hop artists, mentioning the likes of Lil Wayne and Kodak Black. Biden didn’t hold back, saying, “Well, I’m not sure he has that allegiance, number one. Number two, if you look at his record in terms of African Americans and minorities, it’s abysmal the way he handles everything.”
.@SpeedyMorman asks Biden about Trump’s pardon of Lil Wayne and Kodak Black and says Trump “seems to have an allegiance from musical artists, particularly in Hip Hop. Why do you think that is?”
Biden: *laughs* “Well, I’m not sure he has that allegiance.” pic.twitter.com/yMi3BD9pIF
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) July 15, 2024
Biden then delved into his political beginnings, attributing his start to the Black community and recalling his upbringing in a segregated state. He took the opportunity to criticize Trump’s comments about “Black jobs,” suggesting Trump means “menial labor” and mocking the idea of him selling “golden shoes or sneakers.”
Throughout the interview, Biden kept up his offensive against Trump, reiterating his long-held view that Trump is “a real danger to the country, to a democracy.” He recounted how he hadn’t initially planned to run in 2020 but felt compelled after witnessing Trump’s response to the Charlottesville protests, where Trump infamously claimed there were “good people on both sides.”
However, as often happens, Biden’s delivery was marred by a hoarse voice, frequent throat clearing, and the occasional misspeak. At one point, he mistakenly said he became vice president in “2020,” which he later corrected by reminiscing about being asked by Barack Obama to be his running mate in 2008. Despite the hiccup, Biden reflected fondly on his time as vice president and his subsequent role as a professor at the University of Pennsylvania.
BIDEN: “In 2020, when Barack asked me to be vice president…” (not true)
“After that I became a professor at the University of Pennsylvania” (also not true)
😳😳😳 pic.twitter.com/Bz7q3nA1JR
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) July 15, 2024
The 81-year-old president continues to face widespread calls to step down amid signs of cognitive decline and motor issues.
