Biden was afforded an opportunity in an interview that aired Thursday on the black Philadelphia radio station 96.1FM to reassure his allies of his competence. It did not go well.
In his rambling interview with host Andrew Lawful-Sanders, Biden doubled down twice on the false suggestion that former President Donald Trump threatened a violent "bloodbath" should he lose the election and suggested further that his opponent "questioned the humanity of George Floyd." Biden emphasized the frequency with which he has appointed black judges and argued that his "bad debate" should not erase what he believes he has accomplished so far in his presidency.
What caught critics' attention, however, was not Biden's revisionism, his record of race-based hiring, or his desire to look past the debate, but rather his passing identification as a black woman.
"By the way, I'm proud to be, as I said, the first vice president, first black woman to serve with a black president. Proud to be involved of the first black woman on the Supreme Court," said Biden. "There's so much that we can do because, together, there's nothing — look. This is the United States of America."