Media

CNN Refuses To Cover Biden’s ‘You Ain’t Black’ Jaw-Dropper On-Air

Democratic presidential hopeful Former Vice President Joe Biden speaks during the second round of the second Democratic primary debate of the 2020 presidential campaign season hosted by CNN at the Fox Theatre in Detroit, Michigan on July 31, 2019. (JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images)

JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images

Virginia Kruta Associate Editor
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Former Vice President Joe Biden apologized Friday afternoon for a tone-deaf comment about black voters — and although it was hours later, CNN made no mention of the comments on air.

Biden, during a somewhat contentious interview for the “Breakfast Club” radio show, said to voters who were still undecided between himself and President Donald Trump, “you ain’t black.”

Shortly after the video of the exchange hit social media, both Fox News and MSNBC ran segments covering Biden’s comments.

Juan Williams, during a segment of “America’s Newsroom,” called the comments “too direct for my tastes” but added that they were simply an example of Biden’s tendency to be “blunt.”

Harris Faulkner also addressed the topic on “Outnumbered,” saying that the comments were “hurtful” and represented a “blind spot” for Biden. (RELATED: Marie Harf Says Biden’s Comments Weren’t Racist — Harris Faulkner Says ‘It Doesn’t Need A Label, It’s Just Hurtful’)

Biden’s communications director Symone Sanders offered an explanation, saying that Biden had simply been joking and meant to show the contrast between his own record and Trump’s.

Coverage of the comments continued on MSNBC as correspondent Trymaine Lee noted that Biden’s comments were problematic even if he was joking.

Fox News host and Daily Caller cofounder Tucker Carlson weighed in on the situation as well.

By Friday afternoon, Biden issued an apology of sorts, saying on a call with black business owners that he “shouldn’t have been such a wise guy” and assuring them that he did not take the black vote for granted.

Through it all, there was no comment on air from CNN.   In fact, as of 6:30 ET, according to the Grabien news clipping site, Biden’s name had only come up a total of five times since anchor Don Lemon’s Thursday night broadcast — and all five times occurred in the 12pm ET hour when host John King addressed the campaign’s search for a female vice president and mentioned an exchange Biden had with late night comedian Stephen Colbert.

CNN tweeted about Biden several times after the comments began making the rounds on social media — but the first tweet that addressed those comments was not posted until after the former vice president had already apologized.