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Black voters reacted to President Biden’s commencement address at Morehouse College in Atlanta over the weekend, accusing him of “race baiting” while his support in the Black community continues to dissipate ahead of November.
New York resident Lou Valentino reacted to Biden’s remarks during “Fox & Friends,” accusing him of trying to set Black Americans back after his controversial speech.
“Race baiter,” Valentino told Lawrence Jones on Monday. “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.”
VP HARRIS CALLED OUT OR ‘PANDERING’ TO BLACK VOTERS WITH ‘EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN’ DINNERS
Speaking at Morehouse College in Atlanta, Biden questioned whether American democracy would work for the African-American graduates.
“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 Morehouse graduates on Sunday.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – MAY 19: U.S. President Joe Biden receives Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from Morehouse College during the 2024 140th Morehouse College Commencement Ceremony at Morehouse College on May 19, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Paras Griffin/WireImage) (Getty Images)
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.”
Virginia business owner Ajay Brewer reacted to Biden’s remarks during “Fox & Friends First,” echoing Valentino’s sentiment while accusing the Democrats of stifling the freedom of Black voters.
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“It’s hopelessness, man… it’s the party of hopelessness,” Brewer told 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.”
According to a new Fox News poll, Biden’s support with Black voters has declined 7% since October 2020, while Trump’s support has spiked 9% in the same time frame.
“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” 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.”
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“When it comes to me as an African American, I need you to pay attention to what’s going on with my business,” she continued. “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.”
VideoBiden had also been accused of using the speech to cater to Black voters. After he was announced as commencement speaker in April, students and professors quickly called on the college to cancel the speech.
During the speech, a smattering of Morehouse students and faculty also protested Biden’s speech by turning their backs on him.
The protest was not widespread, however, and those participating did not disrupt his address beyond showing their backs. The small protest was a reminder of the continued unrest at college campuses across the country, however, where anti-Israel protests have forced some universities to cancel their commencement ceremonies altogether.
Fox News’ Lindsay Kornick contributed to this report.
VideoBailee Hill is an associate editor with Fox News Digital. Story ideas can be sent to bailee.hill@fox.com
