U.S. President Joe Biden is delivering a speech today, Sunday, to the graduates of Morehouse College, which provides him an opportunity to calm the anger stemming from his support for Israel and to mend his relationships with young Black voters ahead of the presidential elections in November. In previous years, such speeches at various universities were filled with the usual encouraging phrases, but the significance of the president's address to these new graduates is highlighted by the ongoing Israeli war on Gaza and the discontent among young people toward the current Democratic president, especially as this year's election approaches. Biden (81) hopes to capture moments that attract attention and can persuade weary voters who agree with his policies but are not personally convinced of him to vote for him.
Campaign officials have noted signs of declining support for him, particularly among young Black voters. Biden has been working for several days with senior aides on the speech he will deliver at Morehouse College, established in 1867 to educate Black men who gained freedom from slavery. Among the university's alumni is civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. The U.S. president has focused on historically Black colleges and universities by allocating billions in additional funding and praising them as tools to enhance economic mobility.
