“It’s not enough. We can’t stop here,” President Biden said in remarks at the White House after the conviction, a rare example of punishment after a police killing.
Biden was taking a virtual tour of an electric battery company in South Carolina before the verdict was read. He and Harris watched with staff members in the President’s Dining Room. After the announcement, Biden spoke with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat; then Biden, Harris and first lady Jill Biden spoke with Floyd’s younger brother, Philonise, from the Oval Office.
Biden and Harris also talked with Floyd’s family over the phone, the details of which can be heard in a video released on Twitter by the family’s attorney, Benjamin Crump.
“Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there’s some justice,” Biden told the family. “You’re an incredible family. I wish I were there to put arms around you.”
He added, “We’re all so relieved.”
Harris said on the call, “In George’s name and memory, we are going to make sure his legacy is intact and that history will look back at this moment and know this is an inflection moment.”
The White House waited for Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison, the Floyd family, and Walz to speak before they made public remarks.
Before the verdict was announced, Biden said that he had spoken with Floyd’s family by phone, that he “wanted to know how they’re doing personally” and that they “talked about personal things.”
White House officials had been huddling Tuesday, watching and waiting like the rest of the country.
Biden sparked backlash earlier in the day when he said “I am praying the verdict is the right verdict” and added, “I think it’s overwhelming in my view.”
