Diddy has a long history of taking voting very seriously. [Remember the whole “Vote or Die!” campaign?] So it was a matter of time before someone asked him about his opinion during this election. And the hip-hop mogul turned self-appointed representative of black voters failed to disappoint.

“My number one thing, to be honest, is black people — I feel like we put President Obama in the White House. When I look back, I just wanted more done for my people, because that’s the name of the game,” Sean “Diddy” Combs told Rev. Al Sharpton during an interview. 

“This is politics. You put somebody in office, you get in return the things that you care about for your communities. I think we got a little bit shortchanged. That’s not knocking the President,” he continued, according to CNN. “He’s done an excellent job, you know, but I think it’s time to turn up the heat, because the black vote is going to decide who is the next president of the United States.”

While this criticism surely comes from a good place, it’s a bit misguided. Not to imply that President Obama is void of criticism and mistakes, he’s honestly made plenty during his tenure. But Diddy’s claims coincidentally mirror the same phrasing that Obama’s opposition has used for years, by insinuating that he somehow only won because he managed to win over 13% of the country’s population.

The truth is, while it was undeniably important, winning the black vote was only one of the many victories that got Obama in the White House twice. With that being the case, we also have to keep in mind that he isn’t only the president of the black America.

Could he have done more to support black communities? Yes, without a doubt. But it’s not because he necessarily owes us as black people.

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