What could Cornel West cost Biden?

West stopped by POLITICO HQ on Thursday for a wide-ranging, hour-plus dialog on every part from his path to the poll to the disaster at the moment dealing with American greater schooling.

For right now’s Q&A, here’s a snippet of the dialog centered on the 2024 election and West’s place in it. He argued to POLITICO that his candidacy was greater than only a spoiler for Biden — and stated his marketing campaign is working to get on the poll in dozens of states.

This dialog has been edited for brevity (considerably) and readability.

I need to understand how lengthy you’ve been contemplating operating for president, and operating for president as an unbiased or in a third-party capability.

In relation to my deciding, that was stunning to me. I’ve typically stated you’ll discover me in a crack home earlier than you discover me within the White Home. I’ve stated that on many events, as a result of there’s extra corruption within the White Home … I don’t care which occasion is in there.

So once I stated that, you say ‘oh, now you modify your thoughts?’ Completely proper. I modified my thoughts. Why did I alter my thoughts? After I appeared up, I noticed the legacy that produced me, the custom from which I come, not being represented: Who’s been there for poor individuals? … Who’s been there for mass incarceration? Who is worried with imperial insurance policies?

So what number of states do you suppose you’ll be on the poll in?

We’ll be on 15 by the Ides of March. We needs to be on about 30 within the early summer time and we hope about 40 or so by November.

So not all 50?

We’re in spite of everything 50. However we would not. The company duopoly is simply so entrenched. It’s unbelievable. I imply, New York? … I do know we’ve some critical uphill work to do.

What’s the voters that you simply’re going to tug in? Which Trump voters are you pulling in? Which Biden voters?

One essential bloc is the youth vote: 18 to 29. Greater than two-thirds don’t need both. … I’ve found over time that the youth vote is disproportionately involved in regards to the ecological disaster in a method that so most of the older people usually are not. … The youth vote is deeply involved in regards to the failed guarantees of Biden on scholar loans. The youth vote has a sure openness to the cross-cultural, multicultural, cross-racial sensibility.

However I’m not simply in regards to the youth vote. We acquired the Black vote. We acquired our commerce union vote — we meet with the Teamsters later right now … And now we’re going to Detroit on Tuesday for ‘Arabs for West.’ With the Gaza state of affairs, an entire host of Arab brothers and sisters saying, ‘you already know, we acquired behind Biden and look what he’s given us.’

Is that sufficient individuals to win?

It’s arduous to say.

There’s a lengthy historical past of people who find themselves considered as spoilers. Do you are concerned about that? Do you suppose you might be a spoiler as a substitute of a winner?

I don’t settle for the spoiler class. I actually don’t. A vote for Biden, a vote for Trump is a vote for Biden and a vote for Trump. And there could also be slices of people that say ‘if I didn’t vote for West, I’d have voted for Biden.’ However that’s not, to me, a spoiler. In the event you’re within the race, and also you make a case and so they vote for you, how do you grow to be the spoiler?

Are you extra involved about former President Trump successful than a second Biden time period? I simply need to make it possible for assumption is true.

I’m extra involved about Trump domestically. I’m extra involved about Biden by way of international coverage. … I simply refuse to decide on between that different gangsta possibility.

[Editor’s note: Earlier in the conversation, he called “brother Trump” a “neo-fascist pied piper leading the country to a second civil war.” He added that “I see brother Biden as a milquetoast neoliberal with military adventurism, possibly leading the world to World War III.”]

So did you vote for Biden in 2020?

No.

Who did you vote for?

I voted for some revolutionary once I acquired in there. Now I had publicly supported Biden, however once I acquired in there I couldn’t do it. … I wouldn’t do it to my brothers within the mass incarceration regime, who view Biden because the architect … Though I publicly supported him, as a result of I wished to be a part of an anti-facist coalition … once I acquired in there, I don’t know if it was the Holy Ghost, one thing hit me.

You talked about supporting Biden publicly after which not voting for him. How is that totally different from different politicians you’ve railed towards?

I’m residing in Cambridge. And I knew that Massachusetts was going to go Democratic it doesn’t matter what. … It was simply pressure, you reside within the midst of pressure. … If I had been in Wisconsin, Florida, I’d have felt one thing totally different.

This interview first appeared in POLITICO Professional’s Morning Rating publication. Join POLITICO Professional.