Tim Scott Addresses Response to Comments About Racism: Biden, Harris ‘Said Exactly What I’ve Been Saying’

Senator Tim Scott (R- SC) appeared on CBS’ Face the Nation Sunday and addressed his rebuttal to President Joe Biden’s speech to Congress, particularly comments he made about racism in America and the response they received.

“America is not a racist country,” Scott said in his rebuttal. “It’s backwards to fight discrimination with different types of discrimination. And it’s wrong to try to use our painful past to dishonestly shut down debates in the present.”

CBS’ John Dickerson remarked to Scott that the president “agrees with you,” and asked the senator, “Help people understand when you say it’s not a racist country, but then you do talk about a system that targets Black Americans.”

Scott started by saying, “Thank goodness that finally our president, our vice presidents, one of the leaders in the Democratic caucus in the House, Jim Clyburn, have all come forward and said exactly what I’ve been saying for a long time — America’s not a racist country.”

Scott told Dickerson, “The question is is there a lingering effect after a couple of centuries of racism and discrimination in this nation? The answer is absolutely.”

In an interview Thursday, Vice President Kamala Harris was asked about Scott’s comments, and she said, “I don’t think America is a racist country. But we also do have to speak truth about the history of racism in our country, and its existence today.”

Biden, meanwhile, said in an interview Friday, “I don’t think the American people are racist. But I think after 400 years, African Americans have been left in a position where they are so far behind the eight ball in terms of education and health, in terms of opportunity, I don’t think America is racist, but I think the overhang from all of the Jim Crow, and before that slavery, have had a cost, and we have to deal with it.”

You can watch Scott’s remarks above, via CBS.