In a recent episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show, Stephen A. Smith criticized President Joe Biden’s campaign in North Carolina for including a fried chicken dinner with a Black family, describing it as “not the greatest look.” The criticism stemmed from a video posted on Biden’s YouTube channel, where he was seen picking up food from the restaurant Cook Out in Raleigh and having dinner at the home of a man named Eric Fitts and his two sons.
Smith expressed concern about racial tropes and insensitivity, suggesting that the imagery of Black individuals with the president and fried chicken could be interpreted negatively. He also questioned Biden’s decision to eat fried chicken at the age of 81, stating, “What the hell are you doing eating fried chicken? You’re 81!”
Additionally, Smith predicted that the video could provide ammunition for Biden’s opponents in the upcoming election. He pointed out that if former President Donald Trump had been seen in a similar situation, critics might label it as racist, and he questioned why the idea was even conceived.
The remarks by Stephen A. Smith highlight concerns about potential racial stereotypes and the impact of political optics on public perception. The criticism reflects a broader discussion about how political events and gestures are interpreted in the context of race and cultural sensitivity.
“First of all, we all know about racial tropes, do we not?” Smith said on Wednesday’s episode of The Stephen A. Smith Show. “Racist tropes. You ever heard of that? Where people sit up there and try to use things to intimate something else of a racially-insensitive nature? So Black folks with the president and fried chicken ain’t the greatest look.”
Smith also questioned Biden’s decision to eat fried chicken at the age of 81.
“What the hell are you doing eating fried chicken?” Smith continued. “You’re 81! What 81 you know is munching on fried chicken? You ain’t been in the greatest health in a lot of people’s eyes, you know; so eating some fried chicken ain’t the greatest look.”
Lastly, Smith predicted the video will provide Biden’s opponents with more than enough ammunition ahead of the election.
“I wanna know who the hell came out with that idea!” he said. “Because you [Donald Trump] and the GOP are gonna use that to they’re advantage, right? And they’ll be right to do so because, ladies and gentleman, if we’re being fair, if we saw Donald Trump sitting down in a Black household, eating fried chicken with a father and a son, what would we say? You know folks out there would be calling it racist! Well, if it’s racist for him — and I’m not saying it would be — but if it’s racist for him, why wouldn’t it be racist for Biden?”
