Black voters slam Biden for 'race baiting' in Morehouse address amid declining support ahead of elections

NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: In a commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta over the weekend, President Joe Biden faced backlash from segments of the Black community, accusing him of "race baiting" as his support among Black voters continues to erode ahead of the November elections.

Lou Valentino, a New York resident, shared his reaction to Biden's remarks during an appearance on 'Fox & Friends.' Valentino voiced his frustration, suggesting that Biden's speech was an attempt to hinder the progress of Black Americans rather than celebrate their achievements.

"Race baiter," Valentino told Fox’s Lawrence Jones on Monday, May 20.

"It's tough to hear that because imagine you going to college for four years… ready to hit the world, start a career, and… this guy is trying to set you back literally, I don't know, civil rights. I don't know what's going on with the Democrats. This role that they're trying to play, instead of… pulling up and saying, well, 'Here we go. This is your time. Congratulations. Let's kill it. Let's do our best.' Nah, you know what, Lawrence? They don't love you like that," he added.

Biden's speech at Morehouse College faces backlash

Speaking at Morehouse College, Biden addressed the graduates with a message that questioned whether American democracy truly serves African-American citizens.

"You missed your high school graduation. You started college just as George Floyd was murdered, and there was a reckoning on race. It's natural to wonder if the 'democracy' you hear about actually works for you. What is democracy? That Black men are being killed in the street," Biden told the Morehouse graduates on Sunday.

He continued, "What is democracy? The trail of broken promises still leaves Black communities behind. What is democracy? You have to be ten times better than anyone else to get a fair shot. Most of all, what does it mean? As you've heard before, to be a Black man who loves his country even if it doesn't love him back in equal measure."

Ajay Brewer, a business owner from Virginia, echoed Valentino’s sentiments during an interview on 'Fox & Friends First,' accusing the Democratic Party of perpetuating a sense of hopelessness among Black voters.

"It's hopelessness, man… it's the party of hopelessness," Brewer told Fox's Carley Shimkus on Monday. "I could say that… I was a Democrat my entire life until I opened my business… It's like a drug… victimhood, and, ‘We can do this for you,’ and to be honest with you the Black folks I surround myself with just want government to get out of the way."

"We don't need folks to do things for us. We don't need people to baby us," he continued. "It's kind of disturbing… that they pander to us in this manner because they can depend on us at a clip of 90% plus, but I think that's going to change this election."

Polls show declining Black voter support for Biden

Recent polling data indicates a shift in support within the Black community. According to a new Fox News poll, Biden's support among Black voters has declined by 7% since October 2020, while former President Donald Trump's support has increased by 9% during the same period.

"America is changing and people are becoming more sensitive to what's affecting us as individuals, as business owners, as parents. Not just because we're Black, not just because we're women, not just because we're men. They can't keep putting us in these race baskets," Georgia independent voter Bernadette Wright told 'Fox & Friends First' on Monday.

"Accountability season is here, and America is ready for someone who's ready to lead from a place of understanding that you're going to have to meet with the states, and you're going to have to meet with the local government if you want to affect individual communities on a micro level," she continued.

"When it comes to me as an African American, I need you to pay attention to what's going on with my business," Wright added. "It's not always just about, 'Oh, you're Black, so you must need this in your community.' They don't even know who we are at this point. We're just looking for somebody to come to the middle and lead."

Biden's speech at Morehouse College was met with some resistance even before he arrived. Following the announcement in April that he would be the commencement speaker, students and professors at Morehouse called on the college to cancel his speech.

During the commencement, a small group of students and faculty members protested Biden's address by turning their backs on him. Although the protest was not widespread and did not disrupt the speech beyond the symbolic gesture, it highlighted the ongoing unrest on college campuses nationwide - with some universities forced to cancel their commencement ceremonies altogether, Fox News reported.