Cardi B, Joe Biden Discuss 2020 Election, Covid-19, Police Brutality

Cardi B and Joe Biden had a candid discussion about Covid-19, police brutality and the upcoming 2020 presidential election in an interview in partnership with Elle magazine. The talk comes ahead of the Democratic National Convention this week.

Over Zoom, Biden started off by asking what policies in the 2020 election matter to the rapper most. “I have a whole list of things that I want and I wish and I desire for our next president to root for us,” she said. “But first and first, I just want Trump out…I don’t want to be lied to. We’re living in a pandemic right now and I just want answers. I want to know when this is over, I want to go back to my job, I want to be able to go outside, I want to not feel like I’m trapped in my home. But I don’t want somebody to lie to me and tell me that it’s OK to go outside, it’s OK not to wear a mask…I want a timeline for us to get better. I want a president to tell us the steps for us to get better.”

Cardi, who was a vocal supporter of Bernie Sanders during the Democratic primary, also reiterated her support for MediCare for All — “because look what’s happening right now” — for free college education, and “for black people to stop getting killed.”

“I just want stricter laws that are fairer for black citizens, and for cops, too,” she said.

Biden encouraged members of Cardi B’s “young millennial” fanbase — 18 to 24-year-olds — to get out the vote, noting that a higher percentage of young people voting in 2016 could have led Hillary Clinton to victory. The two also discussed reducing cuts to after-school programs and other initiatives that would help underserved communities; Cardi said she relied on school lunch programs during grade school, and that she struggled to afford basic meals during college.

“I couldn’t afford to go to McDonald’s on my lunch break,” she said. “That is so important, to finance students while they’re in college, because they get really discouraged.”