President Joe Biden’s black voter base is dwindling.
Whether it’s because of his handling of the Israel-Hamas war, the enormous economic strain forcing many Americans to take on additional shifts or second jobs, or even his push to ban menthol cigarettes, black Americans are taking a second look at the Democratic incumbent.
What this means for Biden in the 2024 election is clear. Even the smallest falloff in a constituency long dominated by Democrats could spell disaster.
It’s leaving the door wide open for former President Donald Trump, who won 8 percent of the black vote in 2016 and then 12 percent in 2020.
In a recent New York Times/Siena poll, he received 16 percent support from black voters despite being called racist at every turn by Democrats since entering the political scene.
In other words, Trump has nowhere but to go but up and Biden has nowhere to go but down — and he’s doing just that.
On a recent trip to Pennsylvania, his home state wasn’t exactly happy to see him.
Newsmax’s Addison Smith shared a photo of two black men “awaiting Biden’s arrival in Pittsburgh to show him their ‘Donald Trump is who we want’ signs.”
People gather awaiting Biden’s arrival in Pittsburgh to show him their “Donald Trump is who we want” signs. pic.twitter.com/GOG6FU6Dhf
— Addison Smith (@AddisonSmithTV) April 17, 2024
In his hometown of Scranton, Biden himself revealed how much of an uphill battle he is facing, telling an audience about seeing “F*** Biden” signs and “a little kid standing with his middle finger [up].”
“I promise, it happens all the time,” he said.
Biden Says Little Kid Gave Him a Middle Finger: ‘It Happens All the Time’ pic.twitter.com/XYqU0xvybK
— Sean Hannity 🇺🇸 (@seanhannity) April 19, 2024
Between the flipped birds and the angry signs greeting him on his trip home, it might be time for Biden to permanently retire his whole “I’m from Scranton” schtick. It’s not winning him any votes — white or black, apparently.
Nor are the millions of dollars his campaign is spending to secure black support. According to CBS News, “as part of a $30 million ad buy in March, the campaign launched multiple ads targeting Black voters in the battleground states.”
Perhaps that money would have gone further had Biden been doing his job for black Americans from the moment he took office.
Instead, the black unemployment rate increased to 6.4 percent in March, its highest level since August 2022. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate for whites remained steady at 3.4 percent and decreased for Asians and Hispanics to 2.5 percent and 4.5 percent, respectively.
Biden’s got some big problems brewing.
Will Trump win in November?
As black voters become increasingly disenchanted with the Democratic Party — tired of being promised the world in return for their vote, only to receive nothing — they are seeing Trump with a fresh set of eyes.
“I don’t care what the media tells you, Mr. Trump, we support you.” Those were the words said by one young black woman who hugged the former president at a Chick-fil-A in Atlanta last week.
“I don’t care what the media tells you, Mr. Trump, we support you!” pic.twitter.com/q49RpivIbD
— Margo Martin (@margommartin) April 10, 2024
Hiding from the truth can only last so long. It eventually catches up with you.
For Biden and the Democrats, the impact on the 2024 election could be significant. Trump could walk away with a larger share of the black vote than ever before.