PHILADELPHIA (TND) — Sesame Workshop, the producer of the television series Sesame Street, is disavowing an Elmo figure participating in a campaign event for President Joe Biden.
A costumed version of the “Sesame Street” star danced in a drum line before Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris spoke at a rally Wednesday in Philadelphia. Sesame Workshop denied responsibility for the Elmo appearance in a statement to The National Desk.
Sesame Workshop is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization. In the video you referenced, that is not a licensed Sesame Street costume character,” Beatrice Chow, vice president for public relations and publicity, told TND.The president held the rally at Girard College, a historically Black boarding school. Biden is once again trying to court Black voters in an effort to regain the voting bloc that helped him win the White House, reminding them of their overwhelming support in the 2020 presidential election.
Biden’s support from Black voters has taken a hit recently. A recent Pew Research Center report found 77% of Black voters would vote for the incumbent, compared to 18% for former President Donald Trump. In contrast, 92% of Black voters cast votes for Biden in 2020, according to the Pew Research Center.
“Because Black Americans voted, Kamala and I are president and vice president of the United States — because of you. That’s not hyperbole,” the president said Wednesday. “Because you voted, Donald Trump is a defeated former president. And with your vote in 2024, we’re going to make Donald Trump a loser again.”
On Thursday, Charlamagne tha God, whose legal name is Lenard McKelvey, explained his lack of an endorsement for Biden.
I’m not Captain Save-a-Joe. That’s not what I’m here for. So, yes, they are asking me why I won’t endorse. What does it matter?” McKelvey told Fox & Friends. “And, it’s not like I’m out here telling people not to vote. I want people to participate in the voting process. But, all I’m going to do is put the issues out there. I’m going to say what I feel.”The radio host is just the latest celebrity to refrain from backing the president. Earlier this month, rapper Cardi B, whose real name is Belcalis Almanzar, said Americans have been betrayed under the Biden administration, pointing to its spending habits.
“It’s just like, damn, y’all not caring about nobody,” she told Rolling Stone. “Then, it really gets me upset that there is solutions to it. There is a solution. I know there’s a solution because you’re spending billions of dollars on any f—king thing.”
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