An all-black panel on CNN mocked 2020 presidential hopeful Cory Booker for his viral “Kool-Aid” comments during the presidential debate Wednesday night.
During a tense exchange in the debate between Booker and presidential front-runner Joe Biden about criminal justice reform, the New Jersey senator said, “There’s a saying in my community that you’re dipping into the Kool-Aid and you don’t even know the flavor.”
Andrew Gillum, April Ryan, Angela Rye, and Bakari Sellers appeared on CNN’s New Day Wednesday morning and discussed the moment.
After airing the clip, which appeared to bring Ryan to tears, Rye commented, “I have to say this. Senator Booker, you know I love you, man. But I could just see you going, oh, here comes my time. Here comes the Kool-Aid.”
“But with black phrases you don’t enunciate, like, every word,” Sellers responded, which elicited laughter from the others.
They then all said, “You all up in the Kool-Aid, and you don’t even know the flavor,” correcting Booker.
“He was too pedigreed with it,” Ryan chimed in, which then prompted Gillum to disassociate himself from the entire conversation.
“There were a lot of people watching that, a lot of black folk who were like, no, but to a lot of Democratic viewers, it was an endearing moment for Cory. Cory had a good night last night,” Sellers added.
