The Biden-Harris presidential campaign hosted a Black media exclusive debate gaggle on June 26. The gaggle discussed what viewers should expect during the presidential debate between Joe Biden and Donald Trump later that evening.
The Biden camp campaign officials included Black media director Jasmine Harris, communications director Michael Tyler, deputy principal campaign manager Quentin Fulks, campaign co-chair Cedric Richmond, and Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett, D-Texas. The officials discussed many things related to the Biden campaign while also reminding the media of Trump’s continued negative impact on America.
The Biden campaign values the young Black vote. With an investment of $16 billion in HBCUs and continuous elimination of student loan debt, the campaign has consistently worked to keep their vote. The campaign spoke to rolling out and the media about the importance of the Black vote.
Michael Tyler: The accomplishments such as the $167 billion in [canceled] student loan debt, $16 billion [given to] HBCUs, the historic level of Black small business growth for young entrepreneurs, the historic investments to combat climate change so that the next generation can actually inherit a country that they can live in and thrive and not be subjected to asthma and cancer, the work that this administration has been able to do to lower the cost of insulin for our seniors, our moms or grandmas … all of that is because young Black people turned up to vote and is a direct result of the young Black people exercising our political power in cities like Atlanta, Milwaukee, Philadelphia [and] Detroit. They should feel pride in those accomplishments, and they should understand that if we want to continue to build on that progress, we have to all turnout and vote again in 2024.
Jasmine Crockett: When I’m talking about young voters, I honestly don’t typically separate them out; I kind of lump them together. Because a lot of the things that young people care about no matter if you are Black, Hispanic, or White, you have a lot of the same concerns. It is things like climate change; you have one team that doesn’t believe that climate change is a real thing, as we’re experiencing these insane weather events all over the country.
I’m not super young, but we’re talking about young folk are just now entering that phase of life, and there’s only one team that cares about your lives. If I had to separate and say young Black people, I can tell you that when it comes to Black maternal mortality, the numbers have always been trash, and now you add this extra layer where they’re saying we will not allow you to be treated when half the time they were getting ignored in the first place. Now they’re saying outright you aren’t going to be treated. We are talking about the lives of young Black women. People are saying “I don’t agree with this person 100%,” or “I don’t agree with that person 100%.” There’s only one person who is pushing policies that are killing us, and I think that that has to be the message.
Cedric Richmond: If you look at [Biden’s] cabinet and you look at who he empowers for our young people, it should be important because he sees you as the next generation of leaders. Donald Trump sees you as somebody to buy some gold tennis shoes and get a felony at some point in your life and be in his club. I think it’s a clear distinction because we know our young people are out there busting their butts to make it and we want them to make it.
