Recently, Democratic Rep. James Clyburn appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” where he suggested that President Biden’s support among the black community has not waned at all. However, some reports have demonstrated a growing support in the black community for former President Donald Trump.
CNN host Dana Bash questioned the South Carolina representative on Biden’s support following his first primary win in the Palmetto State. Bash specifically asked Clyburn where Biden stood with the black community, after the decisive win the in the state.
Anchor Dana Bash said, “President Biden picked up his first official primary win last night in South Carolina. What did we learn about his strength with the key part of his base? Here with me is Jim Clyburn of South Carolina. Thank you so much for being here. The Biden campaign, with your help, went into South Carolina last night hoping for a show of force in a state where there’s, of course, a large black vote. There had been some concern about whether he has maintained his standing with black voters. Based on what you saw last night, what’s the answer?”
Clyburn claimed that the South Carolina primary demonstrated that the president has not lost any of his support from the black community, citing margins from communities that are home to Historically Black Colleges and Universities.
Clyburn responded, “Thank you very much for having me. I think the answer is an emphatic yes. The best illustration of that, he got 96% of the vote in this primary. But his largest percentage, over 97%, was in the town of Orangeburg where there are two HBCUs and a community college. And he got the largest percentage of the whole state. That demonstrates to me what I have been saying all the time, that Joe Biden has not lost any support among African-Americans. You can go out and talk to ten people, publish the comments of one, and maybe give off a different thought. He has not lost support among African-Americans.”
While the South Carolina Democrat claims Biden still has a foothold in the black community, there is continual evidence suggesting some minority voters are turning to Donald Trump and the Republican party. An NBC News report from late last year highlighted the declining black sentiment toward the Democratic party where polling at the time suggested that 20% of black voters would consider voting for Trump.
“But I was concerned about President Biden. What has he done for Black people, who were a big reason for him winning? You hear that noise coming from the other side and you think, ‘It’s the same ol’, same old’: People begging for our votes, but not doing anything for us after they get it,” one person told NBC News, voicing skepticism toward Biden and the Democrats.
Watch Clyburn here:
Meanwhile, former President Trump has expressed optimism toward capturing historically unprecedented support minority voter. “Have you seen our poll numbers with African Americans and with Hispanic Americans? But I’m not that surprised because I see it, I feel it,” Trump stated during a recent rally. “We did great in 2016, we did much better in 2020 but there is much more enthusiasm now.”
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