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As President Biden seeks a second term in less than a year, his policy achievements for Black Americans risk being overshadowed by polls slightly favoring twice-impeached former president Donald Trump.
In a world of artificial intelligence and viral influencers, perceptions often drive decisions more than facts. For President Joe Biden, the fear of perception overpowering facts has become a reality.
Black voters and political supporters pushed his candidacy over the edge to victory. In response, Biden developed policies and executive orders specifically for Black Americans.
Biden’s overseen the lowest Black unemployment rate in modern history. He funneled a record amount of dollars into HBCUs. He’s also addressed police misconduct and accountability at the federal level and nominated more Black women to the federal bench than any previous president.
So, why is Donald Trump, a man who orchestrated a White supremacist domestic terror attack on our nation’s Capitol, slightly ahead of Biden in recent polls?
Polls threaten second term for Biden
The latest poll from Emerson College shows Biden trailing Trump among likely voters 47% – 43%.
“We’re gonna continue to do the work and talk to the American people,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told The Black Wall Street Times Tuesday.
Democratic operatives have publicly downplayed recent polls. Yet the fear of a second Trump presidency, and the potential erosion of democracy it could bring, has Biden’s administration working to set the record straight.
Some Black voters across the spectrum appear to have grown weary of Democratic Party proposals not turning into legislation.
From reparations and a stronger Voting Rights Act to the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, transformative policies have failed to make it out of a divided Congress. While Biden doesn’t have the power to force Congress to act, presidents often shoulder the blame of its inaction.
Private concerns morphed into public fears after an NBC News poll revealed an approval rating of 40%.
It’s the lowest approval rating since Biden took office as his administration faces criticism for its handling of the Israeli government’s war on Hamas, which began after the militant group launched a terror attack against Israeli communities, killing over 1,200 and kidnapping 240.
Israel responded by launching a campaign of bombings against Gaza, killing over 14,000 Palestinian men, women and children.
Israel agreed to a temporary ceasefire with the militant group on Wednesday, after months of public pressure from the United Nations, human rights organization, world leaders, and millions of protesters around the world.
The expected four-day ceasefire will be in exchange for the release of 50 Israeli, American and foreign national hostages held by Hamas. Meanwhile, with Biden supporting further military aid to Israel, he continues to face criticism.
It’s important for voters to hear “directly from the administration to lay out what the president has done, not just for the Black community, but for Americans across the country,” Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said.
Biden’s Black agenda: Education
From the first day he took office, President Biden declared a battle for the soul of the nation. In seeking a second term, Biden has continued to call out racism and bigotry.
He’s acknowledged White supremacy as the most significant domestic terror threat during a commencement speech at Howard University in May. On top of that, he’s instructed every agency of his administration to strengthen racial equity.
Biden failed to achieve his goal of canceling up to $20,000 in student loan debt for over 40 million Americans, but not for lack of trying. Congress refused to act and the U.S. Supreme Court ultimately struck down his $430 billion plan.
Still, in the months since the June 30 SCOTUS decision, Biden has found creative ways to cancel or reduce student loan debt anyway, such as:
- Canceled $117 billion in student loan debt for 3.4M borrowers since 2021.
- Approved “SAVE” repayment plan to lower monthly costs.
- Invested over $7 billion into HBCUs.
“He believes Americans should be able to get an education and not be choked by repaying that education,” Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said.
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Biden’s Black Agenda: Employment and Business
Beyond education, Biden also led the nation out of the highest inflation rate in 40 years, without significantly raising unemployment. In fact, despite fears that his efforts would lead to higher unemployment, he secured the lowest Black unemployment rate in modern U.S. history.
“Let’s say you make 30 or 40K a year. Those are the folks overall that have seen the largest wage gains under President Biden over the last two years,” National Economic Council Deputy Director Bharat Ramamurti told The Black Wall Street Times in August. “If you look at wage inequality, it has narrowed significantly just over the last two years.”
In addition, a record number of Black-owned small businesses opened under Biden’s presidency. Seeking a second term, Biden believes he’s proven his dedication to uplifting Black Americans.
Still, critics abound on both the right and left. Jared Clemons is a Postdoctoral fellow at Princeton University’s Center for the study of Democratic Politics. He’s also an assistant professor at Temple University. In a rebuke of American capitalism, Clemons said incremental gains for Black Americans don’t make up for an unequal system.
“A lot of the spending is clustered at the top. So, part of the reason I think you see this growing homelessness issue is because even though GDP is rising it’s really being carried by the people at the top,” Clemons told The Black Wall Street Times in August.
Biden’s Black Agenda: Policing Reform
When it comes to criminal justice, Biden tried to push through the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act. In a major demand from millions of Americans, the bill would’ve created transformative changes to the system of American policing.
However, South Carolina Republican Tim Scott refused to support it, and the bill never came up for a vote.
Before his campaign for a second term, Biden took executive action on the federal level:
- Banned chokeholds.
- Restricted no-knock warrants.
- Required body-worn cameras.
- Implemented stronger use of force policies
- Approved de-escalation training.
- Submitted use of force data to FBI data collection.
- Submitted officer misconduct records into new Department of Justice national database.
- Restricted transfer of military equipment to local law enforcement agencies.
“These are things that many young people were fighting for and asking for some change on, and that’s what the president was able to do through executive order on the federal level,” Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said.
“Of course, we need Congress to act so that we can turn this into legislation,” she added.
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Can Biden break through the noise with second term?
Notably, Republicans have succeeded in siphoning off a small, yet increasing percentage of Black voters since Trump’s election in 2016.
Recent polls by the New York Times and Sienna College show 22 percent of Black voters in six battleground states back Trump for president in 2024. If the numbers hold true nationwide, it would mark the first time a Republican won more than 12 percent of the Black vote in nearly 50 years.
Trump won six percent of the Black vote in 2016 and 8 percent in 2020, according to Pew Research Center.
Despite Biden and Trump both being near the same age, (Biden is 81, and Trump is 77), perception reigns supreme. Supporters of Trump continue to view him as a no-nonsense, strongman who will deliver results.
Meanwhile, even some of Biden’s supporters have questioned his capacity to lead in a second term. The lingering doubt has the White House spreading the word about Biden’s accomplishments to the public.
“You’re gonna continue to hear more from the president going into states speaking directly to the American people, but it is very hard to cut through the noise nowadays,” Press Secretary Jean-Pierre said.
While both Biden and Trump face primary challengers, they remain the frontrunners by a wide margin.
Ultimately, the White House doesn’t want the public to change the channel, but they’re hopeful disaffected voters will change their tune.