Joe Biden says he ‘didn’t feel pressure to select a Black woman’ as a running mate

Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said Friday that he didn’t feel pressure to select a black woman as a running mate because ‘the government should look like the people’.

The former vice president was speaking with Good Morning America co-host, Robin Roberts, when she asked: ‘Did you feel pressure to select a black woman?’

Biden was being interviewed alongside his running mate, Kamala Harris, on ABC News, when he responded: ‘No, I didn’t feel pressure to select a black woman.

He explained that the ‘government should look like the people, look like the country’. 

‘Fifty-one percent of the people in this country are women. As that old expression goes, “women hold up half the sky,” and in order to be able to succeed, you’ve got to be dealt in across the board.’

Biden, who announced Harris as his running mate just one week before the Democratic National Convention, said: ‘I cannot understand and fully appreciate what it means to walk in her shoes, to be an African-American woman, with Indian-American background, a child of immigrants.

‘She can’t assume exactly what it’s like to walk in my shoes. What we do know is we have the same value set,’ Biden said, adding that Harris ‘fit the closest and the best,’ in comparison to the other women who were under consideration. 

The interview marks their first as running mates and comes just days after Biden and Harris were formally nominated at the DNC. 

Harris has seen a favorability boost from the convention as she closed out Wednesday night with a speech accepting the vice presidential nomination and on Thursday, the last night of the convention, she appeared with Biden after his acceptance speech.

Ahead of the convention, the California senator had a 35 per cent approval rating, and on Sunday the poll showed her at 41 per cent.

During the same interview, which is set to air Sunday night, when Biden was asked if he only plans to serve one term, he said ‘no.’

‘You’re leaving open the possibility that you’ll serve eight years if elected?’ ABC host, David Muir, questioned.

‘Absolutely,’ the former vice president asserted. 

Biden already holds a large majority of the favorability among the black community compared to President Donald Trump and his highest favorability in general is among that demographic with 69 per cent viewing him favorable.

Only 39 per cent of white American adults feel the same way and 52 per cent of Hispanics say they see the candidate in a good light.

Biden also saw his favorability among Democrats climb 7 per cent, from 79 to 86 per cent following the convention, which historically lends itself a boost to the nominated candidate’s favorability.