Sep 17, 2020 - Politics & Policy

Joe Biden: "I've benefitted" from white privilege

Orion Rummler

Screenshot of Biden at a CNN town hall — Biden at a Scranton, Pennslvanyia CNN town hall. Photo courtesty of CNN.

Joe Biden said at a CNN town hall on Thursday that he has benefitted from white privilege "just because I don't have to go through what my Black brothers and sisters have had to go through."

Why it matters: Biden's response stands in contrast to the Trump administration's moves to order government agencies to halt trainings on critical race theory and white privilege, referring to them as "anti-American propaganda."

When asked by Bob Woodward if he had "any sense" that white or financial privilege had isolated him from understanding the perspective of Black Americans, President Trump reportedly said: "No. You really drank the Kool-Aid, didn’t you? Just listen to you. Wow. No, I don’t feel that at all."

Between the lines: Biden quickly pivoted to distinguish himself from Ivy League presidents and Trump's inherited wealth, aligning himself with l0wer income Americans and those with less social status.

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Joe Biden: "I've benefitted" from white privilege

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