Joe Biden caused an uproar at Wednesday night’s Democratic presidential debate when he falsely claimed that the only black female senator supported him.
Pivoting from a back-and-forth with New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker about decriminalizing marijuana and expunging the criminal records of those convicted of related offenses, the former vice president claimed he virtually emerged from the black community.
“Secondly, I’m part of that Obama coalition,” Biden explained. “I come out of the black community in terms of my support. If you notice, I have more people supporting me in the black community that have announced for me because they know me. They know who I am. Three former chairs of the black caucus, the only African American woman who’s ever been elected to the United States Senate, a whole range of people —”
Biden was then interrupted by Booker and California Sen. Kamala Harris, both of whom are black. “That’s not true!” Booker exclaimed, while Harris said, “The other one is here.” The camera cut to Harris laughing and shrugging in confusion.
Biden then clarified, “I said the first!” The first black female senator was Carol Moseley Braun, who represented Illinois from 1993 to 1999. “One of the reasons I was picked to be vice president was because of my relationship, long-standing relationship with the black community,” Biden continued.
Biden has raised eyebrows for his many verbal slipups throughout the 2020 primary. He stoked controversy of a racial sort when he regaled audiences with a story in September about fighting off a gang leader named “Corn Pop” when he served as a lifeguard at a predominantly black pool in 1962. Prominent black journalist Michael Harriot expressed skepticism that the story was true.
