As the 2024 presidential election approaches, a recent report from the New York Times suggests that President Joe Biden is experiencing a decline in support among black voters, a crucial demographic for Democrats.
This trend was explored in a recent episode of the Times’ podcast “The Run Up,” hosted by Astead Herndon. Returning home for Thanksgiving, Herndon interviewed black friends and family members, posing questions about their views on the Democratic Party and the upcoming 2024 presidential election. Specifically, he inquired whether they would support Biden, the Democratic frontrunner, or the Republican frontrunner, President Donald Trump.
The inspiration for Astead Herndon’s podcast episode came from the recent New York Times/Siena College poll, which gained attention for indicating that President Biden is trailing former President Trump in five out of six key battleground states. However, what caught Herndon’s interest was a different finding from the poll—specifically, that in these battleground states, 22% of black voters expressed support for Trump over Biden in the 2024 election. This shift is noteworthy as black voters have traditionally been a crucial demographic for Democratic candidates.
The potential decline in overwhelming black support could pose challenges for Biden’s electoral prospects. To provide context, Trump secured only 8% of the black vote in the 2020 presidential election, making the 22% figure a substantial increase that might impact the electoral landscape. The interviews conducted by Herndon echoed the sentiments reflected in the poll results.
During his interviews, one participant criticized Democrats for neglecting the “black male.” Other individuals, when questioned about Biden’s shortcomings, pointed out concerns about his age, citing that he is “too old.”
One guest said:
“We talk about the negatives of Trump often, but we don’t talk about the negatives of Biden.
“In a world of today’s politics where most policies are written by think tanks and groups of people, Biden hand wrote a policy that resulted in more black people being locked up than ever in the history of America.”