Did Biden Label Black Americans ‘Super Predators’? Fact-Checking Trump’s Debate Claim

Super Predators Comment – Fact Check Photo : iStock In a recent attack on President Joe Biden, former President Donald Trump inaccurately claimed that Biden had referred to African Americans as “super predators” during his advocacy for the 1994 crime bill. Trump’s Allegation Trump stated, “He did a crime bill, 1994, where you called them super predators. African Americans. Super predators. And they’ve never forgotten it. They’ve never forgotten it.” This claim misrepresents Biden’s stance and statements from that period. Origins of the Term The term “super predators” was infamously used by then-First Lady Hillary Clinton in a 1996 speech in New Hampshire. Clinton was advocating for the 1994 crime bill, a piece of legislation that has since faced significant criticism for contributing to mass incarceration, particularly of Black men. Biden’s Actual Statements In contrast to Trump’s claim, Joe Biden did not refer to African Americans as “super predators.” In a 1993 speech, Biden did warn of “predators on our streets” who were “beyond the pale” while supporting the crime bill. However, he did not label African Americans with the term “super predators.” In fact, Biden explicitly rejected the “super predator” theory. During a 1997 hearing, Biden emphasized that the...