President Joe Biden turned to Morehouse College alumni ahead of his commencement speech to the historically black college.
Biden had meetings with Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. of the Morehouse Board of Trustees, along with Morehouse alumni Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed before his speech Sunday per sources cited by CNN. The Washington Examiner reached the Biden campaign for comment.
Already, White House Office of Public Engagement Director Steve Benjamin met with Morehouse College students last week to discuss concerns regarding the president’s speech. Benjamin promised students at the time Biden’s speech would not be campaign-related.
This comes after the president announced he would participate in two debates against his rival, former President Donald Trump, instead of those moderated by the Commission on Presidential Debates, including one at VSU on Oct. 1. It was meant to be the second of three presidential debates in a series that the commission chose, including two other debates in Texas and Utah. VSU would have been the first historically black university to host such an event.
“No administration has respected, elevated and invested in HBCU’s like Joe Biden and Kamala Harris,” campaign Black Media Director Jasmine Harris said in a statement to the Washington Examiner. “Just this week the Biden-Harris administration announced $16 billion dollars in funding for HBCUs, further demonstrating their commitment to these distinguished institutions.”
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A Wall Street Journal poll from last month found 30% of black voters were planning to probably or definitely vote for Trump over incumbent President Joe Biden. This is a massive swing from the 2020 election, where Biden swept 92% of the black vote.
In 2020, black voters made up 13.5% of all eligible voters. According to the Pew Research Center, they are expected to make up 14% in 2024.
