Joe Biden told the Asian & Latino Coalition in Des Moines, Iowa, that “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”
The former vice president said this while on a stop during his four-day Iowa campaign tour.
“We should challenge students in these school 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 and just as talented as white kids.”
After hesitant clapping from the audience, he tried to fix his gaffe. “Wealthy kids, black kids, Asian kids — no, I really mean it. But think how we think about it,” Biden said. “We think how we’re going to dumb it down. They can do anything anybody else can do given a shot.”
Biden’s deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, responded to the incident, saying, “[Biden] misspoke and immediately corrected himself during a refrain he often uses.”
Biden is well known for his gaffes. In the previous Democratic debates, he asked voters to go to Joe at 30330. He obviously meant voters should text Joe to 30330.
So far, no 2020 Democratic presidential hopefuls have commented on Biden’s remarks in Iowa.