A protester holds a die-in in front of a row of police officers during a protest over the death of George Floyd at the State Capital building in downtown Columbus, Ohio, on Monday. Photo: AFP

Since George Floyd's tragic death on May 25, much of US media's criticism has been poured toward President Donald Trump and his conservative Republican base. 

These criticisms are partly true, given that Trump does have a record of racial discrimination. He also uses inflammatory rhetoric threatening to use the military to oppress protesters. This has made the situation worse.

But these criticisms coming from pro-liberal mainstream US media seem to forget that the country's escalating racial tension is not only Trump's fault. It also stems from years of negligence by the Obama administration.

For instance, a 2016 poll done by the New York Times and CBS found out that "Sixty-nine percent of Americans say race relations are generally bad, one of the highest levels of discord since the 1992 riots in Los Angeles during the Rodney King case".

This poll also noted that "the proportion of Americans who believe race relations are generally good has declined over all since 2009", which covers most of the Obama presidency. 

A survey conducted by Pew Research Center between February 29 and May 8, 2016 provided a more interesting picture. It showed that during Obama's very first year in the White House, those who believed US' race relation was "generally good" saw a significant increase. Then, as the excitement of Obama's presidency cooled down afterwards, people started to realize race relations hadn't been improving as they expected. Public opinion regarding this issue declined, finally reaching its lowest point with the death of Freddie Gray, a young black man who died in police custody. 

The BBC gave an explanation in a 2017 article titled "Barack Obama legacy: Did he improve US race relations?," in which Nick Bryant, BBC's New York correspondent, argued that Obama didn't win his presidency because of his skin color, but due the Financial crisis and two unpopular wars in the Middle East.

"America's racial problems have not melted away merely because Obama has spent eight years in the White House. Far from it," his article reads, and eventually, "the Obama years gave rise to a movement called Black Lives Matter."

With these facts and arguments in mind, it is reasonable to doubt a Biden presidency, should he win this November, will put more focus on healing race relations than Obama's two terms of presidency - especially with the coronavirus still wreaking havoc throughout the country and a roiling recession with no easy end in sight. 

The fact that George Floyd's tragic death happened in a "blue state," in a Democrat controlled city, is adding another layer of doubt whether a Biden presidency will offer anything significant better than Obama, or Trump. Even the Democrats and Biden will have to answer this question as the November election approaches. Otherwise, as the Democrats encourage people to "vote for a change," the Republicans can easily point out to voters that Minneapolis is a city with a Democratic mayor.  

African Americans, as well as other minorities who suffer inequality, won't see their agony end if they are stuck choosing either group of politicians. 

But what other option do they have?

The author is a freelance writer based in Beijing. opinion@globaltimes.com.cn