Biden is branded a racist for claiming Latinx Americans aren't getting vaccinated because they fear DEPORTATION
President Biden has been branded a racist after claiming Latinx Americans are afraid of getting vaccinated out of fear of deportation.
Biden made his comments in a speech on Thursday in North Carolina where he toured a mobile vaccine unit in North Carolina.
Speaking to a crowd mainly made up of African Americans and Latinos, President Biden was greeted with shouts of 'Uncle Joe' and 'We love you' when he made his remarks on the pandemic at the Green Road Community Center.
Biden remarked on why black Americans historically have been reluctant get vaccinated, citing past racist medical treatment.
'There's a reason why it was harder to get African Americans-initially- to get vaccinated, because they're used to being experimented on,' he said. 'Tuskegee airmen and others, people have long memories.'
He then implied that all American Hispanic people were afraid of getting vaccinated because they would be deported.
'It's awful hard as well to get Latinx vaccinated, Why? They're worried they'll be vaccinated and deported,' he said.
President Joe Biden told people 'just do it' when it comes to getting the COVID vaccine
President Biden poses for selfies with volunteers at a COVID vaccine clinic
Following his comments the term Latinx, the gender-neutral alternative to Latino or Latina, was trending on Twitter.
Biden's comments on the Latino community rubbed many the wrong way and some people on social media have even labeled him a racist.
'This is just an outrageous statement from President Biden,' one person tweeted. 'Latinos don't like to be called 'Latinx,' and you're racist to assume that they're all illegal immigrants.'
'Joe Biden claiming Latinos don’t want to get vaccinated because they’re worried about getting deported is about as racist as it gets,' another person tweeted. 'Par for the course for old racist Joe Biden.'
Someone else tweeted: 'Biden literally said getting Latinx vaccinated is difficult because they think they will be deported if they go in for the vaccine Seems pretty racist to me to imply all "Latinx" are illegal immigrants. If Trump made that statement yall would be furious!'
'Now we know who the real racist president is Biden Goes Woke, Calls Latinos "LatinX" and Assumes They Are All Illegal Aliens.' someone tweeted.
Biden's blunder came during the White House's 'month of action'- a push to get more American's vaccinated.
The tour comes vaccination rates are declining in states in the South and Western parts of the country and the threat of the Delta variant is growing.
'It's the greatest threat against our fight to beat COVID-19,' Biden said of the Delta strain.
'The best way to protect yourself against the virus and its variants, is to be fully vaccinated,' the president said. 'The data couldn't be clear, if you're vaccinated, you're safe.'
'Just do it,' he said as the crowd cheered.
Biden also directed his remarks toward people of color where the vaccination rate is lower.
'The more we close the racial gap in the vaccination rates, the more lives we can save,' he said.
The White House is pushing hard to raise vaccination rates - particularly among younger adults who have a lower one compared to older members of the population.
Officials are emphasizing the new Delta strain of COVID, which is 60% more contagious, and causing an increased number of coronavirus cases in some Southern and Western states.
The Delta variant is responsible for about one in five COVID cases in the U.S., and its prevalence has doubled in the last two weeks. The variant was first identified in India, where officials are struggling to combat the disease.
The strain also is likely to cause a stronger case of COVID but the current vaccines are around 90% effective against it.
The push comes as the White House has said it will go ahead with its July 4th celebrations even as the administration failed to meet its goal of getting 70% of adults partially vaccinated by Independence Day.
