Black voters are outraged by recent suggestions that President Joe Biden should step away from the 2024 campaign, conservative commentator Shermichael Singleton told CNN viewers Thursday. Singleton shared his experience on SiriusXM Urban View, an African American talk radio channel, where he is the only conservative voice. When Singleton expressed his support for Biden stepping down and suggested Vice President Kamala Harris should lead the ticket, he encountered intense backlash.
“I said, ‘I think he should step down and Vice President [Kamala] Harris should carry forward,'” Singleton recounted. “They did not want to hear it.” Dozens of listeners called into the station, expressing their outrage that Democrats were considering abandoning the incumbent candidate. Singleton emphasized, “Most of them said we’re going to stand behind President Biden. They’re behind him, they’re not backing down.”
The flood of calls overwhelmed the show’s producers. “We can’t take any more callers,” the producers told Singleton. “That’s how angry they were with me,” Singleton noted that the listeners’ opposition was not due to a lack of support for Harris but rather a fear that many Americans would not vote for a Black woman. “We don’t want Trump,” Singleton said they told him. “We want Biden.”
For Singleton’s audience, Biden’s debate performance and any perceived episodes were not significant concerns. “Even if he has some episodes here and there, they didn’t really care,” Singleton said. “They thought he was a better option.”
The strong reaction from Black voters underscores their loyalty to Biden and their determination to prevent a return of Donald Trump to the White House. As the 2024 campaign heats up, this sentiment highlights the critical role Black voters play in shaping the Democratic strategy and the importance of addressing their concerns and priorities.