Distinctions in tone, emphasis and perception between the nation’s first Black president and its first Black vice president are not easy to draw. On Inauguration Day, former President Obama and Michelle Obama spoke with Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff and Vice President Kamala Harris. An Obama aide said the former president has never explicitly advised Harris on how to address race on the political stage. “I assure you, if Vice President Biden had said the same thing, the reaction would be very different,” she said. “In the current climate, people would not be surprised by either a President Biden or a Vice President Harris making a similar comment,” Jarrett said.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 24, 2021 13:02 UTC