US President Joe Biden has no plans to give up his May 19 graduation speech at Morehouse College, a historically black college in Georgia, House officials said Monday. Blanche, thus rejecting criticism from some professors and students regarding his policy towards Israel.
White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that Biden would travel as planned to the historic university founded in 1867, which counts civil rights leader Martin Luther among its alumni. King.
“He can’t wait to do it. It’s such an important moment,” Jean-Pierre said at a regular White House news conference.
Jasmine Gurley, a spokeswoman for Morehouse, said no changes were planned regarding Mr. Biden’s speech. “We are moving full speed ahead,” she said.
Miles Ross, a final-year university student, told Reuters he believed Mr Biden’s visit was “clearly a political move”.
“I’m totally against it,” he said. “People are very concerned about what’s happening in Palestine, in Gaza, in Congo, especially here on campus. If he starts talking about this stuff, he will open himself up to scrutiny and many reviews.
Mr. Biden, a Democrat, is seeking to shore up his support among black voters ahead of the November presidential election, where national polls show him tied with former President Donald Trump. Vice President Kamala Harris began a national tour Monday to promote the administration’s policies to black voters, particularly men.
Pro-Palestinian protests and encampments have increased at universities across the country in recent weeks, after Columbia University asked New York police to dismantle tents and arrest more than 100 people.
Some Morehouse faculty and students want the university to withdraw its invitation to Mr. Biden because of his administration’s unwavering support for Israel’s war in Gaza, which has left more than 34,500 people dead. Israel has been the largest recipient of U.S. aid since World War II, and the United States has blocked several U.N. votes criticizing Israeli attacks.
Jared Loggins, a professor of black studies and political science at Amherst College and a Morehouse alumnus, called the invitation a “moral disaster,” especially considering the Rev. King’s fervent antimilitarist views.
Tom Perez, Mr. Biden’s senior adviser and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, said Mr. Biden looked forward to the visit, particularly because of the school’s ties to Rev. King.
“Joe Biden grew up in the civil rights movement and his whole worldview was formed by being part of the protest movement and, in particular, the protest movement against the mistreatment of black people in Delaware and throughout America,” Mr. Perez said.
Mr. Perez said he and other senior administration officials would continue to engage directly with Arab and Muslim communities in Michigan, Illinois, Minnesota and Pennsylvania.
