Kentucky AG Daniel Cameron tells Biden he’s ‘not in chains,’ touts Trump

Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron (R) used his address during the second night of the Republican National Convention to direct sharp criticism at Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden while lauding President Trump.

“I think often about my ancestors who struggled for freedom,” said Cameron, the first Black man to hold the office of attorney general in the Bluegrass State. “I also think about Joe Biden who says ‘If you aren’t voting for me, you ain’t Black,’ who argued that Republicans would put us back in chains, who said there is no diversity of thought in the Black community.”

The 34-year-old attorney general continued, “Mr. Vice President, look at me. I am Black; we are not all the same, sir. I am not in chains. My mind is my own.”

Cameron appeared to be referencing several controversial remarks made by Biden in the past. In 2012, while campaigning in Virginia against Mitt Romney, then-Vice President Biden slammed the Republican Party’s economic policies, telling his audience, “They’re going to put y’all back in chains. He’s said he’s going to do nothing about stopping the practice of outsourcing.”

The comment was promptly criticized by Republicans.

Cameron also referenced remarks made by Biden at the beginning of this month, when the former vice president was interviewed by teleconference as part of the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists joint virtual conference.

“What you all know, but most people don’t know, unlike the African American community, with notable exceptions, the Latino community is an incredibly diverse community, with incredibly different attitudes about different things,” Biden told the panel.

Biden later clarified in a series of tweets that he “in no way” meant “to suggest the African American community is a monolith—not by identity, not on issues, not at all.”

“Throughout my career I’ve witnessed the diversity of thought, background, and sentiment within the African American community,” Biden tweeted. “It’s this diversity that makes our workplaces, communities, and country a better place.”

Biden also garnered backlash earlier this summer when, while speaking with Charlamagne tha God during his “The Breakfast Club” radio show, he said, “If you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black.”

The remarks drew criticism from members of Biden’s own party, and were seized upon by the Trump campaign. 

The GOP has made an effort so far this week to show the diversity of its lawmakers.

Sen. Tim Scott (S.C.), the only Black Republican senator, and former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley (R) — the first Indian American woman to serve as governor in the U.S. — both spoke on Monday.