WEST POINT, NY - MAY 26: U.S. Vice President Joe Biden makes his way down a row of cadets as he arrives to address to graduates of The United States Military Academy at West Point May 26, 2012 in West Point, New York. Approximately 1,000 members of the Class of 2012 will receive Bachelor of Science degrees and be commissioned as second lieutenants in the US Army. (Photo: Getty Images)
On Monday, President Donald Trump slammed former Vice President Joe Biden for his role in passing the 1994 Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, a bill that disproportionately hurt African-Americans and other minorities.
“Anyone associated with the 1994 Crime Bill will not have a chance of being elected. In particular, African Americans will not be able to vote for you,” Trump said in a tweet. “I, on the other hand, was responsible for Criminal Justice Reform, which had tremendous support, and helped fix the bad 1994 Bill!”
Trump continued, calling Biden, a 2020 Democratic presidential contender, “Sleepy Joe” and asked for the former vice president to apologize for his involvement in the legislation, which he claimed was linked to the term “Super Predator.”
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Biden served as chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee in 1994 and the crime bill passed that year has been criticized for leading to mass incarceration across the country. The former vice president has stuck by his decision and downplayed the effects of the legislation.
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In 2015, Bill Clinton said signing the crime bill into law under his watch was a mistake and that he believed he simply “made the problem worse.”
Several 2020 presidential candidates have rebuked Biden for his support for the legislation, including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D) and Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California).
Criminal justice reform will surely be a highly discussed issue during the 2020 election, given the reports of how many minorities are often disproportionately incarcerated relative to white Americans for low-level drug offenses.
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