Presidential candidate Rep. Eric Swalwell (D-CA) has publicly checked his privilege, saying that, as “another white guy,” there are gaps in his understanding of racial issues and vowing to “pass the mic to people who do have that experience.”
Speaking with Vice News, Swalwell declared, “A white guy who doesn’t see other identities or understand other experiences should not be president.”
The California Democrat continued: “And where there would be gaps in my knowledge or my experience, I will pass the mic to people who do have that experience. I’ve also pledged that I would ask a woman to serve as vice president.”
On Monday, Swalwell tweeted a video clip of the exchange along with a similar sentiment he expressed during the interview. “I may be ‘another white guy,’ but I know where there are gaps in my knowledge or my experience and I know when to pass the mic,” he wrote.
Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump’s eldest son, took to social media to mock Swalwell’s remarks, tweeting: “Hard to believe that this isn’t a parody account.”
Swalwell’s comments come after the longshot White House hopeful conceded to donors on Sunday that campaign fundraising is on a “downtrend.”
“We’re writing to you with an urgent request. We just looked at our finances and it seems like we’re on a downtrend for this month’s fundraising numbers,” the email reads. “So many of you have stepped up to help us reach our goal of 65,000 individual donors, but we’re not quite there. We’re working hard to get to the debate stage and beyond.”
Swalwell, who is polling at 0 percent in several national polls, was one of Congress’ loudest voices pushing the now-debunked Trump-Russia collusion hoax. Appearing Sunday on the Fox News Channel, the lawmaker said he still believes President Trump colluded with the Kremlin during the 2016 presidential election.
Earlier this year, the California Democrat received blowback for appearing to suggest imprisoning firearm owners who might oppose future restrictions on guns.