What Biden needs to say to persuade Black voters at presidential debate

The historic primetime presidential debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump will be consequential for Black voters, an influential voting bloc that both Biden and Trump have heavily courted on the campaign trail. Though Biden won 92% of the Black vote in the 2020 presidential election, compared to the 8% who voted for Trump, national polling shows the president has a way to go to reach the level of support he did four years ago in November.  As some Black Americans express frustrations over rising costs, the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza, and other policy issues, Trump has seemingly gained traction with a small but notable share of Black voters. The latest Pew Research Center polling data finds that 77% of Black voters prefer Biden to Trump (18%); however, 49% say would prefer a different candidate altogether.  Democratic strategists tell theGrio that the choice for Black voters between Biden and Trump is clear; however, they expressed President Biden’s need to paint the obvious contrast between what he has achieved for Black communities and how things were far worse when Trump was in office. “At the end of the day, you’ve got to make your accomplishments feel real...