Rep. Clay Higgins, R-La., on Wednesday posted to X, and later deleted, a comment that invoked racist stereotypes about Haitians. In this photo, Higgins speaks during a press conference on the National Defense Authorization Act with members of the House Freedom Caucus on July 14, 2023 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images)

Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Steven Horsford of Nevada took to the U.S. House floor Wednesday night to condemn an “overtly racist” tweet against Haitians and Haitian Americans by Louisiana Republican U.S. Rep. Clay Higgins.

Hours before members were scheduled to depart for a recess through the November elections, Higgins posted to X a comment that invoked racist stereotypes about Haitians and said Haitians in the United States should leave the country before Jan. 20, the date the next president will be inaugurated.

Higgins’ post included a link to an Associated Press story about a nonprofit representing Haitians in Springfield, Ohio, that has brought charges against former President Donald Trump and Ohio Sen. J.D. Vance, whose campaign for president and vice president has centered on criticism of immigration.

“These Haitians are wild. Eating pets, vudu, nastiest country in the western hemisphere, cults, slapstick gangsters… but damned if they don’t feel all sophisticated now, filing charges against our President and VP,” Higgins wrote. “All these thugs better get their mind right and their ass out of our country before January 20^th.”

Haitians are generally not among the immigrants living in the country illegally, as they have been granted Temporary Protected Status due to conditions in their home country. Trump and Vance have amplified disproven rumors about the Haitian community in Springfield, leading to hoax bomb threats against schools, government buildings and local leaders.

Horsford, a Democrat, and other members — reportedly including Florida Republican Byron Donalds – approached Higgins on the House floor after the tweet. Higgins deleted the post shortly after.

Democrats condemn post

After a brief period of confusion about the proper process to introduce a censure resolution, Horsford — surrounded by members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Democrats — spoke on the House floor to condemn the tweet and called for a vote to censure Higgins when the House returns from recess.

“Rep. Higgins used his official account on X to publicly slander, insult and demean all Haitians and Haitian Americans in an overtly racist post,” Horsford said.

Rep. Troy Carter, the lone Democrat and only Black member of Louisiana’s congressional delegation, blasted Higgins’ post in a written statement.

“I am appalled by the racist and reprehensible remarks made by Rep. Clay Higgins about the people of Haiti,” he wrote. “We all owe each other better than this, but as elected officials we should hold ourselves to an even higher standard. We have a solemn responsibility to represent and respect all races of people. Hate-filled rhetoric like this is not just offensive — it is dangerous. It incites division, perpetuates harmful stereotypes, and undermines the core values of our democracy.”

Johnson, Scalise defend Higgins

Two of Higgins’ fellow Louisiana Republicans in House leadership defended him Wednesday.

Talking to reporters, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he’d spoken to Higgins, who told the speaker he regretted the language of the tweet.

Higgins “was approached on the floor by colleagues who said that was offensive,” Johnson. “He said he went to the back and he prayed about it, and he regretted it, and he pulled the post down. That’s what you want the gentleman to do. I’m sure he probably regrets the language he used. But, you know, we move forward. We believe in redemption around here.”

House Majority Leader Steve Scalise of Louisiana briefly defended Higgins on the floor before the chamber took a short recess.

Scalise noted the post had been taken down and suggested censure was inappropriate because he could find examples of Democratic members making divisive comments.

“If we want to go through every comment, tweet from the other side, we’ll be happy to do it and you’ll be appalled,” Scalise said.

Vice President Kamala Harris speaks onstage during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s 53rd Annual Legislative Conference Annual Phoenix Awards Dinner at Walter E. Washington Convention Center on Sept. 14, 2024 in Washington, D.C. (Photo by Jemal Countess/Getty Images for Congressional Black Caucus Foundation)

WASHINGTON —  Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, warned members of the Congressional Black Caucus on Saturday that its vision is “under profound threat.”

Harris, alongside President Joe Biden, cautioned the crowd on what’s at stake if the GOP presidential nominee — former President Donald Trump — takes back the White House in November during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards Dinner in Washington, D.C.

The gala followed a series of events during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual legislative conference this week. According to a pool report, about 3,500 people were in attendance at the dinner at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.

“The CBC has always had a vision for the future of our nation, a future where we can see what is possible, unburdened by what has been, a future where we fulfill the promise of America, a promise of freedom, opportunity and justice, not just for some, but for all,” Harris said.

“While we moved and fight to move our nation forward toward a brighter future, Donald Trump and his extremist allies intend to take our nation backward,” she said, adding that “they will give tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations, cut Social Security and Medicare and end the Affordable Care Act, which the CBC fought so hard to pass — but we are not going back.”

Harris — who now has the chance to become the first woman president, the second Black president and the first president of South Asian descent — was a member of the Congressional Black Caucus while she served as a member of the U.S. Senate from California.

After Biden passed the torch to Harris following his disastrous debate performance in late June, the veep has conducted an unprecedented and expedited campaign as she and Trump vie for the Oval Office.

“Let’s be clear: there are old ghosts with new garments trying to seize your power and extremists coming for your freedom, making it harder for you to vote and have your vote counted, closing doors of opportunity, attacking affirmative action and the value of diversity, equity and inclusion — banning books, erasing history,” Biden said Saturday.

The president received the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Lifetime Achievement Award ahead of his remarks. He was praised by Rep. Terri Sewell, an Alabama Democrat and the chair of the board of directors of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation, and Rep. Steven Horsford, a Nevada Democrat and the chair of the Congressional Black Caucus.

The White House hosted its first-ever brunch in celebration of Black Excellence on Friday, where Biden underscored some of the efforts of his administration in aiming to advance opportunities and equity for Black communities.

Biden on Saturday again denounced the attacks against Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, saying “it’s wrong” and “it’s got to stop.”

He added that “any president should reject hate in America” and “not incite it.”

On the other side of the presidential campaign aisle, Trump has been demonizing immigrants, most recently at a rally in Las Vegas on Friday night. He’s made false and baseless claims about Haitian immigrants in Springfield, Ohio, and Venezuelan gangs in Aurora, Colorado, while threatening mass deportations if he wins another term.

At a press conference in California on Friday, Trump promised that, if elected, he would carry out the “largest deportation in the history of our country” — and that it would “start with Springfield and Aurora.”

Actress and film producer Marsai Martin delivers remarks during a brunch held to celebrate Black Excellence on the South Lawn of the White House on Sept. 13, 2024 in Washington, D.C. President Biden hosted the brunch during the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s annual Legislative Conference this week to recognize achievements in the Black community. At right is Office of Management and Budget Director Shalanda Young. (Photo by Anna Rose Layden/Getty Images)

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden, in the last months of his four-year term, detailed his administration’s efforts in seeking to advance opportunities and equity for Black communities on Friday during the White House’s first-ever brunch in celebration of Black Excellence.

The event came as the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation hosted its annual legislative conference this week in Washington, D.C.

“Today, we honor this simple truth: Black history is American history, Black excellence is American excellence, and folks, we don’t erase history like others are trying to — we make history,” Biden said to a crowd on the South Lawn that included members of the Congressional Black Caucus and other Black leaders.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre; Trell Thomas, founder of Black Excellence Brunch; Marsai Martin, an actress and producer; and Shalanda Young, director of the Office of Management and Budget, gave brief remarks ahead of Biden.

“I know it because I’ve seen it. I’ve been vice president to the first Black president in American history, a president to the first Black vice president — and God willing, to the first female Black president in American history,” Biden added.

Biden — who originally sought a second term — passed the torch to Vice President Kamala Harris in mid-July following his disastrous debate performance in June against the Republican presidential nominee, former President Donald Trump.

Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, now has the chance to become the first woman to serve as president, the first Black woman president, and the first president of South Asian descent.

Biden also underscored some of the administration’s key efforts in regard to Black communities, such as achieving the lowest Black unemployment rate on record. As of August, the administration has created 2.4 million jobs for Black workers, according to a White House fact sheet.

He also emphasized the administration’s efforts to ensure that more Black Americans have health care than ever before. The White House says it’s done so by “lowering premium costs by an average of $800 for millions of Americans, increasing Black enrollment in Affordable Care Act coverage by 95%, or over 1.7 million people since 2020,” per the fact sheet.

Biden added that “on this very lawn, in front of the White House built by enslaved people, we hosted the first-ever Juneteenth concert after I made Juneteenth a federal holiday, and on this lawn, we celebrated the first Black woman appointed to the United States Supreme Court, the best decision I made: Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson.”

He also condemned racism toward Haitian migrants to the U.S., saying the community is “under attack in our country right now” and calling it “simply wrong.” Conspiracy theories about migrants and bomb threats continue to rock Springfield, Ohio.

Trump at Tuesday’s presidential debate hosted by ABC News amplified false claims about Haitian migrants there, saying: “In Springfield, they’re eating the dogs, the people that came in, they’re eating the cats,” adding that “they’re eating the pets of the people that live there.”

Appearing to allude to Trump, Biden added that “there’s no place in America. This has to stop, what he’s doing. It has to stop.”

Meanwhile, Biden and Harris are both slated to speak at the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation’s Phoenix Awards Dinner Saturday in Washington, D.C.