‘I’m all in!’: Biden touts his record at NAACP conference in Las Vegas
President Joe Biden drew sharp contrasts between him and former Pres. Donald Trump during a speech at the NAACP’s 115th National Conference on Tuesday.
“I know how to tell the truth. I know right from wrong. I know how to do this job,” Biden told attendees.
Biden warned attendees that Trump would “undo everything” the NACCP stands for and painted Trump’s presidency as “hell for Black America,” pointing to his efforts to repeal Obamacare and tax cuts for the super weathly.
The president also mentioned Project 2025
Biden also emphasized successes of his administration, including nominating Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court. He also named increased investments to Historic Black Colleges and Universities, student debt forgiveness, mortgage relief and lowering prescription costs.
Biden also made mention of the attempted assassination of Trump in Pennsylvania on Saturday, and said politics in the country have gotten “too heated.”
“We all have a responsibility to lower the temperature and condemn violence in any form,” he said.
Biden, who arrived in Las Vegas Monday evening, will also share remarks at the UnidosUS conference on Wednesday.
The president is expected to attend the Vote to Live Prosperity Summit with Rep. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., in North Las Vegas following his speech at the NAACP conference, which is being held at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
Biden last visited Nevada in February. His visit follows two near back-to-back visits to the state by Vice President Kamala Harris, who made appearances in Las Vegas on July 9 and June 28.
Biden’s visit comes after he vowed to stay in the race despite calls from some Democrats that he should step down following a shaky presidential debate performance against former president Donald Trump.
Biden also made mention of an affordable housing package unveiled by his office Tuesday morning.
Polling
Polling has shown Biden’s support among Black voters has fallen since 2021, but his support among the voting group remains substantially higher than that of Trump’s.
An AP analysis of polls conducted in June found that 7 in 10 Black Americans have an unfavorable view of Trump, while 6 in 10 have a positive view of Biden. That’s down, however, from 8 in 10 when Biden took office, according to the AP.
An April Pew survey shows Black voters prefer Biden at 78 percent, compared to 18 percent of voters who prefer Trump. But nearly half of Black voters say they would replace Biden and Trump with different candidates.
A poll from the Washington Post/Ipsos Survey of Black Americans showed 42 percent of voters said they would definitely vote for Biden, while just 4 percent said they would definitely vote for Trump. The poll has a 3.2 margin of error.
The poll shows that 62 percent of Black Americans have a favorable impression of Biden and just 16 percent hold a favorable impression of Trump. Biden’s favorability has dropped 7 percentage points from 2022, when Biden held a 55 percent margin of favorable sentiment, according to the poll.
The poll includes a sample of 1,331 Black adults and was conducted April 9-16.
A New York Times and Siena College poll conducted after the presidential debate shows Trump leading with 49 percent, compared to Biden’s 43 percent.
The poll surveyed 1,532 registered voters from June 28 to July 2 and has a 2.8 margin of error.
Attendees excited to hear speech
Conference attendee Reneka Thomas said on Tuesday morning that she planned to watch Biden speak.
“I’m anxious to hear what he has to say,” said Thomas, who is 45 and has never seen a president up-close before.
Thomas said she attended the conference to network with NAACP members from across the country and because she is very invested in the election in November. Thomas supports Biden’s reelection bid due to his stance on cutting government programs, she said.
“They’re trying to cut off the benefits for the citizens,” said Thomas, who lives in Illinois. “I don’t think that’s right, and I think Biden is against that.”
Tyrone Mitchell, 70, said Biden’s speech most likely won’t be the highlight of his time attending this year’s NAACP conference because he has heard many other presidents speak in the past.
Biden’s words probably will not impact how Mitchell will be voting in November, Mitchell added.
“I am already ‘all in’ with him, so he won’t be swaying me,” the Pennsylvania resident said.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Las Vegas Review-Journal intern Peter Breen contributed to this report.
Contact Taylor R. Avery at TAvery@reviewjournal.com. Follow @travery98 on X.
