MSNBC host Rev. Al Sharpton warned that the Biden administration needs to take a lack of enthusiasm among young and Black voters seriously to defeat former President Trump in a hypothetical 2024 rematch.
"There is a lack of enthusiasm among young voters, particularly young Black voters, the Biden campaign needs to take seriously. You need to really build a ground game movement from the bottom-up, rather than poo-poo it and be in denial," Sharpton said Monday on MSNBC's "Morning Joe."
Sharpton compared Biden's reelection campaign to a competitive boxing match, suggesting that the best fighters are told they are behind even when they are winning to prevent them from becoming too relaxed.
He then urged the campaign to communicate to Black voters that the Justice Department "has prosecuted more federal civil rights cases" related to young Black victims versus any other previous administration.
TRUMP LEADS BIDEN ON THESE KEY ISSUES BY MASSIVE MARGIN: POLL
"They need to be saying that to young voters, to Black voters, saying, you compare our record and ask what the Justice Department is doing for cases like this under Donald Trump. The question is, you have to make voters feel that you're not on Biden's side, you're on your own side. If you're on your own side, you have to bet on it," Sharpton added, in a clip flagged by The Daily Caller.
A recent national NBC News poll found President Biden is trailing Trump among young voters between 18 and 34, with the former president receiving 46% of their support versus 42% for Biden.
Biden previously capitalized on young voters in 2020, defeating Trump by 20 points with voters ages 18 to 29.
Other recent polls have communicated similar results.
A Fox News poll had Biden up only 7 points among the age group, while a CNN national poll had Trump ahead of Biden by 1 point among young voters.
A November 5 New York Times-Siena College poll found Trump leading Biden by 10 points in Nevada, six points in Georgia, five points in both Arizona and Michigan, and four points in Pennsylvania. In Wisconsin, Biden held a two-point lead over Trump. Biden won all six states in 2020, but the poll also found that 22% of Black voters now prefer Trump after he received only 8% of the Black vote among those states in 2020.
"Black voters are more disconnected from the Democratic Party than they have been in decades, frustrated with what many see as inaction on their political priorities and unhappy with President Biden, a candidate they helped lift to the White House just three years ago," Times reporters Maya King and Lisa Lerer wrote.
Democratic pollster Celinda Lake told the Times Biden's political operation has not been "present enough" for Black voters. Another pollster, who once worked for President Obama, told the paper he is worried about turnout.
Fox News' Brian Flood contributed to this report.
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