#BlackVoteAintFree: P Diddy tears into Biden over racist 'you ain't black' comment to Charlamagne tha God
Sean Combs, better known by his rapper name P Diddy, has slammed Joe Biden after the Democratic presidential nominee made a 'you ain't black' comment that many felt was racist during a recent interview.
Biden caused quite a stir on Friday, May 22, when he appeared on 'The Breakfast Club' — a syndicated radio show popular with the African-American community — to talk to host Charlamagne tha God and suggested that the host "ain't black" if he wasn't picking him over Trump in the November 2020 presidential elections. The incident resulted in the hashtag #JoeBidenIsARacist trending on Twitter and many suggesting that comments like that were going to doom his bid of reaching the Oval Office.
Diddy was among those who chastized Biden for assuming that the black community would automatically vote for him. "Aye bruh @JoeBiden I already told you the #BlackVoteAintFree," he tweeted alongside a video of the 77-year-old's interview.
Biden's comments had come after Charlamagne tha God had challenged him over his past record on racial issues and asked him if he was considering a black, female running mate.
Just moments later, one of his aides appeared to be in a hurry to end the interview. "Thank you so much. That’s really our time. I apologize," the aide said.
Charlamagne responded by saying, "You can’t do that to black media!" only for Biden to clarify on why he was bailing by sharing, "I do that to white media and black media because my wife has to go on at 6 o’clock."
"Listen, you’ve got to come see us when you come to New York, Vice President Biden," the rapper insisted. "It’s a long way until November. We’ve got more questions."
"You’ve got more questions?" Biden asked. "Well I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black."
"It don’t have nothing to do with Trump, it has to do with the fact — I want something for my community," Charlamagne hit back.
Biden doubled down at this point and seemingly became defensive. "Take a look at my record, man! I extended the Voting Rights [Act] 25 years. I have a record that is second-to-none," he said. "The NAACP’s endorsed me every time I’ve run. I mean, come on. Take a look at the record."
The Biden campaign has since come out to insist that his comments were just a joke, with senior advisor Symone Sanders pointing to Biden's long history of working for the betterment of the African-American community as proof.
"Vice President Biden spent his career fighting alongside and for the African American community," he posted on social media. "He won his party’s nomination by earning every vote and meeting people where they are and that’s exactly what he intends to do this November."
Biden apologized for his remarks as well. "I should not have been so cavalier. I’ve never, never, ever taken the African-American community for granted. I shouldn't have been such a wise guy," he said during a conference call with the US Black Chamber of Commerce.