CNN reporter says it is ‘poetry’ that Trump’s racist presidency ends with ‘black woman in White House’

‘It’s going to be pretty remarkable to watch that,’ says Abby Phillip

CNN political reporter Abby Phillip has said that if Democratic candidate Joe Biden wins the US election, then President Donald Trump’s political career will have started with a racist lie and ended “with a Black woman in the White House.”

Speaking on CNN on Thursday after the latest vote count put Mr Biden in the lead in the swing state of Pennsylvania, correspondent host Dana Bash spoke about the possibility of Mr Biden’s running mate, Kamala Harris, becoming the next US vice president, according to The Daily Beast.

“For the first time, and a female of colour in America, you know, women have been waiting a long time to see representation at the highest levels of government,” Ms Bash said.

Follow Live: 2020 election results, updates and analysis

“It may not be the president, but it’s right below that and there is going to be — it’s going to be pretty remarkable to watch that,” she added.

If Mr Biden is elected as the US president, then Ms Harris will be the first woman of colour to serve as the country’s vice president.

Ms Phillip, who is a Black woman, responded to Ms Bash: “I think seeing a Black woman on the ticket with Joe Biden, on the cusp of this moment, I think is something that will go down in history because this has never happened before.”

She added: “And not only would Black women put Joe Biden in the White House, but they would also put a Black woman in the White House as well and that is the sort of historical poetry that I think we will live with for a long time.

“In addition to the fact that Donald Trump’s political career began with the racist birther lie, it may very well end with a black woman in the White House.”

Ms Phillip was referencing the racist conspiracy theory peddled by Mr Trump in 2012 that former president Barack Obama was not born in the US. 

The conspiracy theory received national attention during the 2012 election campaign when Mr Trump falsely claimed that Mr Obama was not eligible to be US president because he was born abroad. The former president was born in Honolulu, Hawaii, a US state.

Ms Phillip continued: “For Black women, this has been really a proving moment for their political strength and carrying Joe Biden to the Democratic nomination through the primary.”

She added: “Black women did that.”