Cornel West tells Joe Biden to 'get off the crack pipe,' in first interview since announcing he is running for President

Progressive activist and Harvard professor Cornel West said President Joe Biden needed to “get off the crack pipe," in his first interview since announcing he was running for president as a member of the People’s Party.

During an appearance on KBLA’s Tavis Smiley’s podcast, West said, "If the Democrats are putting out mediocre, milquetoast, neoliberal politicians who can’t say a mumbling word about militarism, can’t say a mumbling word about a serious response to poverty, can’t say a mumbling word about serious white supremacist practices — I mean, Biden himself said America is not a racist society. I said, ‘Get off the crack pipe.’”

West's decision to launch a third-party campaign has raised alarms for Democrats who worry he could poach votes from Biden.

According to a statement on West's campaign site, the candidate said "I am running for truth and justice and as a candidate for president of the United States in the People’s Party. I want to reintroduce America to the best of itself – the dignity, courage, and creativity of precious everyday people. Join our movement for priceless poor and working people of all colors here and abroad."

The 2020 presidential election was determined by just tens of thousands of votes in key swing states.

West getting just a few thousand leftist votes presents a major problem for Biden if he gets them in key swing states. It seems the goal for West is to force Biden to move left with his policies or risk losing votes and possibly the election as well.