Biden speech in Charleston slamming white supremacists interrupted by protestors
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WASHINGTON − President Joe Biden called out the nation’s history of white supremacy Monday in a speech at a historic Black church in Charleston and slammed Republicans and others for trying to whitewash that history.
“The truth is under assault in America,’’ Biden said. "We should know the good, the bad, the truth of who we are. That's what great nations do and we're a great nation, the greatest of all nations. We're not perfect, but at our best we learn from our past and we look to the future."
Ahead of the Feb. 3 primary in South Carolina, Biden delivered an emotional speech at the historic Emanuel AME Church in Charleston where a white gunman killed nine Black churchgoers during Bible study nearly a decade ago. Five others survived.
The speech comes just days after Biden delivered remarks near Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, warning that democracy and freedom are at risk in this year’s election.
“We must reject political violence in America,’’ he told the congregation Monday.
Biden's speech was briefly interrupted by protestors chanting, “Ceasefire now!” referring to the current war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza.
Supporters drowned out the protestors and stood up. "Four more years!'' they chanted.
“I understand their passion,’’ the president said of the protestors. "I've been quietly working with the Israeli government to reduce and significantly get them out of Gaza.''
The South Carolina primary will be the first in this year’s presidential battle in a state with a diverse population. African Americans, who historically support Democratic candidates, make up nearly 30 percent of South Carolina’s population. A good turnout of Black voters could signal renewed support for Biden and give his campaign momentum as he heads to primaries in other states.
"While the visit is a profound reminder that we haven’t made much movement on racial justice in the nation, it could boost Black voter turnout,'' for the Biden/Harris campaign, said Jason Williams, associate professor of justice studies at Montclair State University in New Jersey. "Some Black voters may take this visit as a sign of their continued allyship with solving issues of racism."
'South Carolina will be a test case'
It was in South Carolina in 2020 that Black voters helped turn around Biden’s struggling presidential bid. His win in the Democratic primary there helped him nail victories in other Southern states and change the course of his campaign.
South Carolina Rep. James Clyburn, then the majority whip and highest ranking African American in Congress, is credited with helping Biden seal the win in his home state. Clyburn, now assistant Democratic leader and co-chair of Biden’s re-election campaign, joined the president Monday at Emanuel AME Church also known as “Mother Emanuel.’’
"It's because of this congregation, and the Black community of South Carolina, and ‒ not an exaggeration, and Jim Clyburn ‒ that I stand here today as your president," Biden said to applause. "And I owe you."
Clyburn, who introduced Biden at the church, said the president “will fight any attempt to turn the clock back.’’
Clyburn touted Biden’s record, including a measure to allow the federal government to negotiate prices of prescription drugs for Medicare and other efforts to reduce the cost of prescription drugs. He also pointed to the administration’s efforts to provide more benefits for veterans potentially harmed by burn pits. These military trash disposals might have caused harm to servicemembers who inhaled their fumes, including the president's son Beau, a veteran who died of a brain tumor in 2015.
“Who do you want to see presiding over this?’’ Clyburn called out to the audience.
“Joe Biden!’’ the crowd responded.
Clyburn and other supporters have praised the administration for increasing jobs, getting funds for infrastructure projects, backing climate change proposals and pushing for more money for historically Black colleges and universities.
A number of polls suggest voters don't give Biden credit for these achievements and political experts say Biden needs to do a better job of selling himself if he wants to energize his base.
"Voters will not settle for he’s the better option against Trump," Williams said. "They want to know how his policies have directly impacted their livelihood.''
Vice President Kamala Harris and several other top Democratic congressional leaders are expected to ramp up get-out-the-vote efforts in the Palmetto State in the upcoming weeks.
As the sitting president with no serious Democratic challenger, there's little chance Biden will lose his party's primary, but a strong showing of Black voter turnout could signal they are not disengaged, some experts said.
"South Carolina will serve as a test case,'' Williams said.
Some recent polls showed Biden struggling to garner support among Black voters. One issue for some younger voters of color is that Biden hasn't called for an immediate ceasefire in the Israeli-Hamas war. They've raised concerns about the rising death tolls of Palestinians.
Families of the hate crime victims call for gun control
Civil rights activists and others have also called on Biden to better address continued hate crimes.
There have been other racial attacks since the Mother Emanuel massacre, including the killing of 10 Black shoppers in Buffalo in 2022 by a white gunman and another last year when a white man killed three Black people in Jacksonville, Florida. Families of the victims have called for more gun control measures.
Biden and other Democrats have pressed congressional and state lawmakers to pass legislation that would among other things increase penalties for hate crimes and close loopholes to buy guns by extending background checks.
Biden is also working to show a contrast between his policies and former Republican President Donald Trump. Trump is leading in the polls against other Republican presidential hopefuls, including former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley.
Haley has come under fire for not initially acknowledging that slavery was the cause of the Civil War when she was asked at a recent town hall. She has since said she knows the Civil War was about slavery. Trump also drew criticism for saying at a campaign stop in Iowa Saturday that the Civil War could have been avoided through more skillful negotiation.
"Let me be clear for those who don't seem to know: slavery was the cause of the Civil War,’’ Biden said taking aim at his GOP opponents. "There is no negotiation about that."
Biden noted that Saturday marked the third anniversary of the Jan. 6 insurrection, which he called one of the "darkest days in American history."
'He's a loser'
"They tried to steal the election. Now, they're trying to steal history telling us that violent mob was and I quote, "a peaceful protest."
The Trump campaign lost its election challenges and in America people are taught to concede when they lose, Biden said.
“He’s a loser,’’ Biden said of Trump to applause.
In his speech, Biden acknowledged South Carolina's own dark history noting that only miles away from the church was once one of the busiest slave ports in the country. The International African American Museum dedicated to preserving that history now sits there.
"You're in Charleston, you know the power of truth,'' he said. "Now you have a world class museum to tell the truth about the (country's) original sin."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Biden, at Charleston's Mother Emanuel church delivers emotional speech
