© Reuters. U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks, throughout a marketing campaign occasion specializing in abortion rights on the Hylton Performing Arts Heart, in Manassas, Virginia, U.S., January 23, 2024. REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein/File Picture
By Jarrett Renshaw and Steve Holland
COLUMBIA, South Carolina (Reuters) -President Joe Biden on Saturday drew a stark distinction with high Republican rival Donald Trump, making the case that Trump didn’t help the rights of Black residents and represents a risk to the useconomy and democracy.
Biden’s feedback got here throughout a dinner on Saturday to have a good time elevating South Carolina and its massive base of Black voters to first place within the Democratic Get together’s calendar of contests to appoint a candidate for the November election.
Biden rattled off a listing of his accomplishments as president that he mentioned helped a broad swath of Individuals, together with Black residents.
These included a hiring a various White Home workers, better investments in traditionally Black schools, decrease insulin prices, pupil debt reduction and appointing the primary Black lady to the U.S. Supreme Courtroom.
“Promises made, promises kept,” Biden declared.
His speech was interrupted three separate instances by protesters important of Biden’s cozy relationship with Israel and the killing of Palestinians.
The president has been getting blended evaluations from some Black voters who backed him in 2020, together with discontent over his failure to ship on voting rights laws and different points. Though Democrats haven’t any hope of successful the state in November, Biden hopes the deal with South Carolina will assist bolster help amongst Black voters.
Biden, organising for a probable rematch of the 2020 contest towards Trump, mentioned his Republican rival is “growing a little confused these days.”
“He apparently can’t tell the difference between Nikki Haley and Nancy Pelosi,” Biden referring to a latest speech the place Trump repeatedly referred to his Republican rival Haley as Pelosi, former speaker of the U.S. Home of Representatives.
On his technique to the dinner, Biden and U.S. Consultant James Clyburn, whose endorsement in 2020 catapulted him to the White Home, stopped on the Regal Lounge barber store in downtown Columbia, the place they shook fingers and took selfies with the largely Black patrons.
Biden famous that South Carolina put him within the White Home with a convincing victory within the 2020 Democratic main that salvaged his marketing campaign.
“The truth is I wouldn’t be here without the people of South Carolina,” Biden mentioned. “You are the reason that I’m president.”
The Democratic main in South Carolina is on Feb. 3 and Biden is anticipated to win handily as he carves a simple path to the celebration’s nomination.
Steven Cheung, a Trump spokesperson, mentioned Biden has been “losing badly with Americans of all backgrounds because they had to live through hid disastrous presidency.”
The dinner marked the top of a busy week for the Biden marketing campaign. Surrogates like California Governor Gavin Newsom and Marcia Fudge, head of the company that oversees federal housing, crisscrossed the state to mobilize voters for the first.
New Hampshire held its Democratic main earlier this month regardless of Biden’s efforts to maneuver it down the nominating calendar. Biden skipped the occasion, however supporters organized a profitable write-in marketing campaign.
Biden’s longshot Democratic challenger, Minnesota congressman Dean Phillips, addressed the gang of largely Biden supporters. He supplied some humility, saying 90% of the room or extra will seemingly help Biden within the main.
He mentioned each main wants not less than two candidates, even when the race isn’t a lot of a contest.
“I am happy to be that other guy,” Phillips mentioned earlier than asking the gang to cease chattering and let him converse unabated.