Internet weighs in as Joe Biden compares 1950s segregationists to modern-day MAGA movement

WASHINGTON, DC: On Friday, May 17, President Joe Biden linked Donald Trump "and his MAGA Republican allies" with 1950s segregationists who attempted to prohibit Black and white Americans from attending school together, per Time magazine.

Speaking to Black leaders gathered at the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the POTUS recounted meeting some of the nine individuals who, in 1957—three years after the Supreme Court declared segregation in education to be unconstitutional—faced racist taunts and abuse to enroll in Little Rock's Central High School.

According to President Biden, the same hatred that propelled segregationists to try to stop those students from attending a white high school is now manifesting itself in “other insidious forms,” such as attempts to undermine affirmative action policies in college admissions and undermine corporate efforts aimed at increasing the representation of people of color in the workforce.

What did President Joe Biden say during his NAACP address?

“The Little Rock Nine were met with vitriol and violence. Today the vitriol comes in other insidious forms—an extreme movement led by my predecessor and his MAGA Republican allies, backed by an extreme Supreme Court that gutted affirmative action in college admissions. My predecessor and his extreme MAGA friends are now going after diversity, equity and inclusion all across America,” President Biden claimed. “They want a country for some —not for all.”

President Joe Biden stood with the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to honor the 70th anniversary of the 1954 Brown v Board of Education decision, which sparked nationwide integration.

However, despite the court ruling, many local segregationist leaders in several states openly defied it.

In a historic confrontation, President Dwight D Eisenhower deployed the 101st Airborne Division troops to Little Rock, Arkansas to protect Black students who were facing violent threats while attending school.

“My name’s Joe Biden and I’m a lifetime member of the NAACP,” the 81-year-old incumbent stated when he began his speech.

Biden quipped thereafter, “When I said that a little earlier to the president, he said, ‘Are your dues paid up?’ I got to check.”

Biden’s speech was part of an effort to connect with the African American community, especially as his popularity has been declining among young Black voters.

Following that, the Democrat statesman held a meeting at the White House with the leaders of the Divine Nine, a significant alliance of Black sororities and fraternities.

Regarding the Divine Nine, Biden remarked, "I know real power when I see it."

The Commander-in-Chief is scheduled to speak at Morehouse College in Atlanta, on Saturday, May 18.

The prestigious historically Black institution that Martin Luther King Jr attended is expected to draw protests upon Biden’s weekend visit amidst growing unrest on college campuses across the country.

“I’ve got more Morehouse men in my Administration than Morehouse,” Biden claimed, adding that historically Black colleges and universities are “vital to our nation’s progress.”

When white supremacists protested the removal of Confederate Gen Robert E Lee's statue in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017, then-President Donald Trump commented that there were "very fine people on both sides" of the unrest.

In an effort to keep Trump from winning a second term, Biden claims that these remarks spurred him to enter the presidential race.

According to a close White House advisor, Biden's quest for a second term is also fueled by his fight against bigotry and prejudice.

President Biden's recent remarks to the NAACP align with his ongoing campaign for a second term, emphasizing the protection of freedoms from right-wing extremists.

He has consistently highlighted the importance of defending the progress made in expanding access to education and jobs for people of color, as well as safeguarding access to abortion.

“My predecessor and his MAGA friends are responsible for taking away other freedoms from the freedom to vote to the freedom to choose,” Biden said. “But I’ve always believed the promise of America is big enough for everyone to succeed.”

Internet reacts as Joe Biden compared 1950s segregationists to MAGA movement

People online expressed their thoughts about Joe Biden's NAACP speech in which the President of the United States likened Donald Trump "and his MAGA Republican allies" to 1950s segregationists who tried to prevent Black and white Americans from going to school together.

One person commented, "I guess it’s harder and harder to run on your record when your poll numbers are that bad."

Another person said, "Biden is in desperation mode."

Another person wrote, "Joe biden will pander to any audience, even if it means he abandons honesty, character and integrity. He has none of the aforementioned."

One person claimed, "Whether some Trump supporters are segregationists is a matter of opinion. But it's a fact that Biden heavily sided with segregationists in the early part of his career, when doing so was fashionable."

Another person remarked, "Can you believe this guy's hypocrisy? Biden was himself a segregationist back in the 1960's."

Finally, this person commented, "Wow with Joe's history as a segregationist himself, I can't believe he said that."

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.