Biden apologizes for being 'a wise guy' with 'you ain't black' comment

Former Vice President Joe Biden.
(Image credit: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

Former Vice President Joe Biden has quickly recognized his big Friday morning mistake.

While closing out an interview with Charlamagne tha God on The Breakfast Club, Biden declared that "you have a problem figuring out whether you're for me or [President] Trump, you ain't black." A whole lot of people unexpectedly found Biden's comment racist and offensive, and by Friday afternoon, Biden had acknowledged he "shouldn't have been such a wise guy."

"Perhaps I was much too cavalier," Biden said in a Friday afternoon call with black business leaders. "I've never, never, ever taken the African American community for granted," he continued, adding that "no one should have to vote for any party based on their race, their religion, their background."

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Charlamagne grilled Biden on his morning show, telling the presumptive Democratic nominee that "black people saved your political life in the primaries this year, and they have things they want from you, and one of them is a black woman running mate." Biden assured Charlamagne that several black women were under his consideration before someone off screen told Biden his time was up. Charlamagne told Biden that he had more questions, though, and Biden apparently tried to answer them with his big, misguided swoop.

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Kathryn is a graduate of Syracuse University, with degrees in magazine journalism and information technology, along with hours to earn another degree after working at SU's independent paper The Daily Orange. She's currently recovering from a horse addiction while living in New York City, and likes to share her extremely dry sense of humor on Twitter.