After the staffer’s second try, Charlamagne said, “You can’t do that to black media.” He said it leaning into the camera as Biden said, “I gotta do that to white media and black media because my wife has to go on at 6 o’clock.” Glancing at his watch, Biden said, “Uh oh! I’m in trouble.” Charlamagne laughs and asks that Biden come see the Breakfast Club crew in New York because November is a long way off and they have a lot more questions. “You got more questions, but I tell you what, if you have a problem figuring out whether you’re for me or Trump, then you ain’t black,” Biden said with a smile on his face.

When heard in the context of the previous 17 minutes and 21 seconds, you know that Biden is joking around. Perhaps he got a little too comfortable talking to a community with which he has a strong relationship that spans decades. Add to that being the vice president to the nation’s first black president and you know his affinity with black folks runs deep.

Also, only the willfully obtuse could not see that Biden was nodding at the belief among an overwhelming majority of African Americans that President Trump and his policies are detrimental to the health, safety and well-being of the black community. Saying someone “you ain’t black” in this context is the equivalent of questioning my blackness back in March because I hadn’t seen the 1990 movie “House Party.” It’s more of an exasperated “Where’ve you been?!” as opposed to “You’ve been voted off the island.”