(Bloomberg) -- President Joe Biden said condemnation of the assassination attempt on Donald Trump should be joined by criticism of violence against Black Americans, rejection of political extremism and support for gun control, as he returned to the campaign trail in search of a path forward for his beleaguered campaign.
“If you’re going to be outspoken on one, don’t be silent on others,” Biden said Tuesday at the NAACP annual convention in Las Vegas.
For Biden, the address to one of the nation’s most venerable civil-rights groups was an opportunity to demonstrate his plans to pivot back to attacks on Trump’s record and rhetoric, and he quickly framed the Saturday shooting at a Trump political rally alongside the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the US Capitol and killing of George Floyd by police. Democrats see turning attention to the Republican nominee - and away from questions over Biden’s age and acuity - as crucial to resetting a presidential race where Trump is now favored.
“Just because we must lower the temperature in our politics as it relates to violence doesn’t mean we should stop telling the truth,” Biden said. “Who you are, what you’ve done, what you’ll do - that’s fair game.”
Rallying Black voters is critical to Biden’s hopes of staying on the ticket and securing a second term, and Black lawmakers were among Biden’s most ardent defenders in the aftermath of his troubled performance in the first presidential debate. But polls though show his support among Black voters softening, driven in part by frustration over his progress on issues such as enacting student debt relief as well as broad discontent with his handling of the economy.
Biden made light of his political woes early in the address, noting that Harry Truman, the first president to address the NAACP, had once quipped that if someone wanted a friend in Washington, they should get a dog.
“After the last couple weeks, I know what he means,” Biden said.
Still, Biden’s poor marks on the economy have weakened his reelection bid and spurred Republicans to ramp up their economic messaging to working class voters, including Black people and Latinos, highlighted by Trump’s selection on Monday of Senator JD Vance of Ohio, known for his populist policies.
To counter that, Biden on Tuesday unveiled his administration’s most far-reaching efforts to address the high costs for goods and services that have hit Americans hard and damaged his political prospects with proposed measures to control housing costs.
The centerpiece of that push is a call for Congress to pass a form of national rent control for some 20 million apartment units across the nation. Under the White House plan, property owners with 50 or more units would agree to cap rent hikes at no more than 5% per year or lose key federal tax breaks.
“We have to bring prices down further,” Biden said.
Biden’s address to the NAACP is part of a broader push that in recent months has seen the campaign — aided by Vice President Kamala Harris — launch a full-court press to ensure Black voters turn out to back the Democratic ticket in November.
Biden seized on Trump’s reference to “Black jobs” during the presidential debate, saying that in his administration, a Black job was vice president.
“She could be president of the United States,” he added to applause.
The president in recent weeks has visited Atlanta, Detroit and Philadelphia, where support from Black voters is crucial to winning the swing states with those cities. While in Nevada, Biden will also speak at the UnidosUS annual conference to appeal to Latino voters. He is also expected to sit for an interview with BET this week.
Trump and Republicans have sought to ramp up their appeals to Black voters, with the aim of chipping away enough support to turn key swing states in their favor. Monday night’s opening to the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee saw a parade of Black and Latino speakers on the stage, hammering Biden over his economic agenda and casting Trump’s policies as focused on helping working class families recover from high inflation.
©2024 Bloomberg L.P.
