Biden makes his play for Black voters in Philadelphia: ‘We’re gonna make Donald Trump a loser again’

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris courted Black voters at a rare joint campaign event on Wednesday in Philadelphia as part of their continued efforts to shore up the critical Democratic constituency.

The event was held at Girard College, a five-day boarding school that is predominantly Black, where Mr Biden and Ms Harris pitched the crowd on policies that will positively impact the Black community, including a $35 cap on the price of insulin for seniors and efforts to combat gun violence.

Mr Biden stressed that he would need their assistance one more time to retire Donald Trump.

“Because Black Americans voted, Kamala and I are president and vice president of the United States,” he said. “Because you voted Donald Trump is a defeated former president. And with your vote in 2024, we’re gonna make Donald Trump a loser again.”

During her speech introducing Mr Biden, Ms Harris received an enthusiastic round of applause when she noted the presiden’s cancellation of student loan debt. Meanwhile, Mr Biden trotted out his own record of nominating Black judges to the federal bench — including Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson, the first Black woman to serve on the Supreme Court — and noted that his administration has taken significant steps toward reclassifying marijuana as a less dangerous drug. He also slammed Republicans for blocking the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

“Overall, we’ve appointed over 200 Black judges to the federal bench, and guess what? The next president is gonna be able to appoint a couple justices,” Biden told the crowd.

Biden, who appeared at ease, has enjoyed a long and fruitful relationship with Black voters going back to his first election to the Senate in 1972 in nearby Delaware.