Following the revelation of the Derek Chauvin verdict, President Joe Biden was on the phone with George Floyd’s family. President Biden has been vocal about this case, and like the rest of America, along with a global audience, has awaited the results. Chauvin has been convicted of second-degree unintentional murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter, and now, America’s president has addressed the country.
“I can’t breathe. Those were George Floyd’s last words,” said Biden. “We can’t let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words. We must not turn away. We can’t turn away.”
“This can be a moment of significant change,” he added. “Nothing can ever bring their brother, their father back, but this can be a giant step forward in the march towards justice in America,” Biden said. “For so many people it seems like it took a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors. A brave young woman with a smartphone camera. A crowd that was traumatized.”
“Black men, in particular, have been treated throughout the course of our history as less than human. Their lives must be valued in…our nation. Full stop,” the president stated. While speaking with Floyd’s family, Biden can be heard on the phone telling them, “We were watching every second of this… We’re all so relieved.”
Check out video clips of Biden’s speech and his conversation with the Floyd family below.