- Joe Biden has said that four black women are currently among those screened to be their vice president.
- Speaking on MSNBC’s “The Reid Out” show on Monday, he did not vow to choose a black woman for the job, but said his entire administration “will look like the United States.”
- He did not share the names of the people he was investigating. People who are rumored to be on the list include Senator Kamala Harris, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta and former Georgia Governor candidate Stacey Abrams.
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Joe Biden said four black women are among those considered to be his vice-presidential election, and promised that whoever is elected, his administration “will resemble the United States.”
He made the comments to journalist Joy Reid on the first broadcast of her MSNBC show, “The Reid Out,” on Monday.
He did not directly commit to naming a black woman as his vice president, but he said that his administration “from the vice president, the Supreme Court, cabinet offices and all important positions in the White House” would be as diverse as America itself.
Biden did not share the names of the black women, or anyone else, who was examined.
People rumored to be considered for Biden’s vice presidential election include Senator Kamala Harris, Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms of Atlanta, Rep. Val Demmings of Florida, Rep. Karen Bass of California, former National Security Advisor Susan Rice and former Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams
“It is important that my administration, I promise you, will look like the United States,” Biden told Reid on Monday.
“From the vice president to the Supreme Court, to cabinet positions, and all the important positions in the White House, it will look like the United States,” he continued. “It is extremely important that it be so. I can guarantee that.”
He said his popularity within the black community predates the South Carolina primaries, which he won in February with strong appeal to black voters.
Biden speaks to his followers after speaking at his main night rally in South Carolina on February 29, 2020.
Elizabeth Frantz / Reuters
In response to Reid’s comments that black women are the “heartbeat” of the Democratic Party, Biden boasted of their support and added: “And so they are, as that old saying goes, that they took me to the dance.” .
In March, Biden said his running mate “in all likelihood” would be a woman.
He also presented the background investigation process, which he noted was being carried out by “women and men of color, as well as white people.”
As a former vice president, Biden is familiar with the process, which he described as “like a public physical exam.”
So far, four candidates have been investigated and, once the list has narrowed, he will meet with them in person and make a decision, Biden said.
