De Blasio Rips Biden’s ‘Poor Kids’ Comments

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio took former Vice President Joe Biden to task Friday over comments he made that were widely panned as racially insensitive.

Biden caused a firestorm Thursday when he stated that “poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids” at a campaign event in Iowa. De Blasio responded by saying people shouldn’t “quickly dismiss” the former vice president’s comments as a slip of the tongue. (RELATED: Biden Says ‘We Choose Truth Over Facts’ In Slip Of The Tongue)

“To quickly dismiss [Biden’s] words as a mere ‘slip of the tongue’ is as concerning as what he said,” the mayor said on Twitter. “We need to have a real conversation about the racism and sexism behind ‘electability.’”

De Blasio is currently in the midst of a long-shot presidential campaign, with most polls showing the New York City mayor polling at zero or 1%. (RELATED: De Blasio On Campaigning During NYC Blackout: ‘It Doesn’t Matter Where You Are’)

Biden’s decades-long political career has been plagued by gaffes, some of which have been criticized as racially insensitive. In 2007, Biden described then-Senator Barack Obama as “the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy,” before ultimately serving eight years under Obama as vice president.