President Biden made a notable claim during a speech commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. He asserted that, at the age of 21, he had convinced the late Senator Strom Thurmond, a South Carolina Democrat-turned-Republican, to vote for the Civil Rights Act. However, historical records cast doubt on this assertion, as Biden would have been considerably younger at the time of the Act’s passage in 1964 and not yet a Senator. Furthermore, Senator Thurmond passed away in 2003, nearly four decades after the Civil Rights Act became law.
During his speech at the White House, President Biden stated, “I was able to — literally, not figuratively — talk Strom Thurmond into voting for the Civil Rights Act before he died.” Biden’s birthdate is November 20, 1942, while the Civil Rights Act was passed on June 19, 1964, which means he would have been 21 years old when the Act became law and not a Senator.
BIDEN LIES: “I was able to literally, not figuratively, talk Strom Thurmond into voting FOR the Civil Rights Act.”
For those unaware, Storm Thurmond voted AGAINST the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
CAN BIDEN EVER TELL THE TRUTH? 🤦🏻♂️pic.twitter.com/sVosM0RlnT
— Proud Elephant 🇺🇸🦅 (@ProudElephantUS) August 29, 2023
A White House spokesperson clarified that Biden’s claim pertained to the Voting Rights Act in 1980, not the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This clarification suggests that the president might have misspoken or confused the two legislative acts during his speech.
The president’s comments came in the wake of a tragic incident involving a 21-year-old white gunman who opened fire at a Dollar General store in Jacksonville, Florida. Three Black individuals lost their lives in this senseless act of violence. The incident unfolded on Kings Road and Canal Street in Jacksonville when the armed assailant, carrying an AR-style rifle and a handgun, entered the store around 1 p.m. The Jacksonville Sheriff, T.K. Waters, reported that the shooter was wearing a tactical vest.
Law enforcement quickly responded to the scene, with a SWAT team converging on the Dollar General store. The situation escalated into a potential standoff with the armed suspect barricading himself inside the store. Tragically, the shooter ultimately took his own life.
