In one of last speeches in office, Biden attempts to rehabilitate image of late segregationist Strom Thurmond

In one of his final presidential speeches, President Biden seemed to offer a more nuanced view of the late Senator Strom Thurmond, a staunch pro-segregationist. Speaking at a White House reception for newly elected Democratic members of Congress, Biden shared personal stories about Thurmond, though he stressed he was not defending the controversial figure.

Biden recounted an emotional request from Thurmond, who, at 100 years old and on his deathbed, asked Biden to deliver his eulogy. Biden agreed, recounting the conversation he had with Thurmond’s wife, Nancy, from the hospital.

The president went on to mention that Thurmond eventually renounced the doctrine of “separate but equal,” although he still believed in maintaining racial separation in some contexts. "Strom Thurmond decided that separate but equal was not right... If you’re going to have separate, equal, you had to spend as much on Black schools as White schools," Biden explained. He argued that by the end of Thurmond's career, he had more African Americans working on his staff than any other senator.

Biden also spoke of Thurmond's personal life, acknowledging that Thurmond had an illegitimate child with a Black woman but never denied it or stopped providing for her upbringing.

This isn’t the first time Biden has addressed his connection to Thurmond. In August 2023, Biden claimed that, while just 21 years old, he had convinced Thurmond to vote for the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a story that raised some eyebrows given the timeline. "I literally talked Strom Thurmond into voting for the Civil Rights Act," Biden said at the time. He expressed hope for progress, stating, "Hate never dies; it just hides."

Biden, born in 1942, was only 21 in 1964 when the Civil Rights Act passed, and by that time, Thurmond was already a long-standing senator. While Biden was a contemporary of Thurmond’s in the Senate, he did not serve alongside him during the Civil Rights Act vote, as Biden was just beginning his political career.

This article was reported by journalist Angelia.