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Provided by Darren Riley
Darren Riley poses for a photo with President Joe Biden inside the presidential SUV.
detroit
CNN
—
When Air Force One touched down at Selfridge Air National Guard Base on Thursday afternoon, Darren Riley found himself standing on the tarmac in the bitter Michigan cold waiting for President Joe Biden.
Earlier in the day, the 32-year-old Detroit native took an unexpected question from the Biden campaign. “Do you want to join the president’s motorcade?” Riley readily agreed, and just hours later, he shook hands with Biden and climbed into a heavily armored SUV.
Reilly, who spoke to CNN afterward, initially sounded apologetic, trying to find the words to explain the encounter.
“I was shocked,” he said. “Still processing.”
First, Biden wanted to show Riley some of the presidential SUV’s equipment and turned on a seat massager for Riley to enjoy during the ride.
As the motorcade began its journey through the Detroit suburbs to local restaurant They Say in Harper Woods, Riley said the president wanted to jump right in. During the 30-minute ride, Biden asked Riley questions about his upbringing, childhood, education and business.
“He really asked me who I really was and what I was about,” he said.
Riley, who runs the environmental technology company JustAir, said he could never have imagined having a conversation with the president. Then, without warning, he had the incredible opportunity to ask the President of the United States for advice on everything from his company to how to be a better leader.
“He grabbed my hand and looked me in the eye,” Riley said. Riley said the president said it didn’t matter if the issue was something as serious as politics or something more trivial like sports teams.
“Even if you guys are on different sides of the spectrum… it’s important that we’re together. We have to build that relationship and trust,” Biden told Riley.
The president’s visit to Michigan came as his campaign was gearing up for the general election. After last month’s New Hampshire primary, the Biden campaign declared that former President Donald Trump was all but certain to win the Republican nomination.
Campaign officials say Biden’s travel has rapidly increased, with stops at local eateries and businesses and more intimate settings where the president can shake hands, take selfies and have spontaneous conversations. He said there would be an increased focus on retail politics. One campaign official said Mr. Biden’s decision to spend 30 minutes in a car with Mr. Riley on Thursday was essentially an attempt to give the president more time and space to hear directly from voters.
Testimony from family and friends appears to be more influential than ever in campaigns, with one-on-one encounters having a deeper impact than campaign speeches or news articles, senior campaign advisers say. There is strong evidence that this is often the case.
Riley, who is Black, said she voted for Biden in 2020 and plans to vote for him in 2024. Riley said he had no idea the nation’s unemployment rate was this high until he heard it directly from the president while riding in his car. Under the Biden administration, America’s black population had declined to record lows.
The two men did not discuss the Israel-Hamas war. The war turned into a dispute over Biden’s visit to Michigan on Thursday. The conflict is in a state with a large Arab-American population. In Warren, Biden’s third stop of the day, pro-ceasefire demonstrators lined the streets, some of whom could be heard shouting “shame!”
Riley, who lives in southwest Detroit and knows and works with many Arab Americans, said he feels the community’s pain. He said he and Biden spoke extensively about the pain and suffering in the world.
And Riley said there was one thing in particular that surprised him after seeing Biden up close. He was aware that videos were circulating online highlighting the president’s mistakes and failures, such as stumbling over words while speaking.
“He talked about multiple topics, things he’s juggling and navigating and processing. He’s very sharp,” Riley said. “That guy? He’s sharp. He’s with it.”
When asked if she tends to share a lot about her car rides with friends and family, Riley said she already has, starting with her mother.
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