The President of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has refuted a recent claim from Joe Biden that the organization is fully behind him and has backed each of his previous political runs.
According to the organization’s president and CEO Derrick Johnson, the NAACP has never endorsed Biden in a political election—not a single one—as it does not endorse political candidates.
“Yesterday, former Vice President Joe Biden made a comment about the NAACP’s endorsement,” Johnson said via the Western Journal. “We want to clarify that the NAACP is a non-partisan organization and does not endorse candidates for political office at any level.”
“Persons affiliated with the NAACP at the national, state, and local levels are free to make candidate endorsements in a personal capacity, but they do not reflect support by the NAACP as an organization.”
The organization’s president went on to say the group “has one mission,” that does not include backing specific political candidates.
“The NAACP has one mission and that is fighting for and advancing our Black communities towards an equitable reality,” he said per the report.
“Our primary focus at this moment is to ensure that our communities that have been victims of domestic terrorism and disproportionately impacted by this pandemic have the opportunity to cast their powerful vote come November,” he added.
Johnson also said that Biden “cannot take the African American vote for granted,” as he prepares to square off with President Trump.
“It is the vote that brought him this far — I think he recognizes that, and there has to be stronger preparation when you go on platforms like ‘The Breakfast Club,’ because it is an aggressive platform, but it’s also a platform where many a millennial and younger African American voters listen to, and it will and can leave an impression,” he claimed.
The western Journal reports the NAACP President’s statement comes as Biden claimed during an interview with radio show The Breakfast Club that he has “a record [with the African-American community] that is second to none.” He then said, “The NAACP’s endorsed me every time I’ve run.”
Biden initially told the show’s host, Charlamagne tha God, that a person “ain’t black” if they decided to back Trump over him.
“Take a look at my record, man,” Biden said. “I extended the Voting Rights Act for 25 years. I have a record that is second to none. The NAACP’s endorsed me every time I’ve run.”
WOW!! @JoeBiden tells @cthagod that if blacks have to think about whether they are for Trump or for Biden then, “YOU AIN’T BLACK”.
Disgusting! @TheDemocrats view black people as trained chimpanzees who should not ask questions, but perform the same circus act every 4 years. pic.twitter.com/2ObfeXJTFz
— Candace Owens (@RealCandaceO) May 22, 2020