Biden Fumbles That Poor Kids Are ‘Just As Bright’ As White Kids

DES MOINES, IOWA - AUGUST 08: Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden delivers a 20-minute campaign speech at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair August 08, ... DES MOINES, IOWA - AUGUST 08: Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden delivers a 20-minute campaign speech at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair August 08, 2019 in Des Moines, Iowa. 22 of the 23 politicians seeking the Democratic Party presidential nomination will be visiting the fair this week, six months ahead of the all-important Iowa caucuses. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) MORE LESS
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Former Vice President Joe Biden told a group of mostly Asian and Hispanic voters in Iowa on Wednesday that poor children are just as smart as “white kids.”

“We should challenge students in these schools and have advanced placement programs in these schools,” Biden said. “We have this notion that somehow if you’re poor, you cannot do it. Poor kids are just as bright, just as talented, as white kids.”

Perhaps realizing his gaffe, Biden added: “Wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids, no I really mean it, but think how we think about it.”

While the remarks were seemingly a slip of the tongue, Biden’s been criticized for his record on race in recent weeks, particularly his past views on busing as a means of desegregation and his remarks about working with segregationist lawmakers in the past. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) called out Biden during the first round of Democratic presidential debates, in an exchange that went viral and boosted Harris’ polling numbers significantly.

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