Biden called the verdict in the Derek Chauvin case a “giant step toward justice in America,” but added that much more needs to be done in his first comments since the verdict.
“Nothing can ever bring back his brother, his father, but that can be a giant step in the march toward justice in the United States,” Biden said.
The president added that the verdict in this case is “too rare” and at the same time “not enough”.
“To so many people it seems she needed a unique and extraordinary convergence of factors. A brave young woman with a smartphone camera. A crowd that was traumatized,” said Biden, who noted that the murder lasted “almost ten minutes.”
“Black men, in particular, have been treated throughout our history as less than human. Their lives must be valued in our nation. End point,” Biden added.
Vice President Kamala Harris spoke ahead of Biden’s remarks and said lawmakers must now pass legislation to reform the police in the United States, calling it part of Floyd’s legacy.
“Today we feel relief. Still, you can’t eliminate the pain. A measure of justice is not the same as equal justice,” Harris said.
The White House said Biden, Harris and staff saw the verdict from the White House private dining room. A senior government official described the reaction in the private dining room as “a collective exhalation. From everyone. Then the collective recognition that much more work needs to be done. But overall, just a sense of relief. “.
After announcing the verdict, Biden, Harris and First Lady Jill Biden spoke with George Floyd’s brother, Philonise Floyd, of the Oval Office. Biden also spoke with Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
In his call to Floyd’s family, Biden said, “Nothing will make everything better, but at least now there is justice.”
He said he would take the family to the White House and quoted Floyd’s daughter, Gianna, who told Biden at her father’s monument that it would change the world.
“It will start to change now,” Biden said in the call.
The president said the verdict could “be our first shot against … systemic racism.”
“We were watching every second of that,” he told the trial family. “We’re all so relieved.”
Harris added: “History will look back at this time and see it as a turning point.”
In light of an impending verdict at trial, the president’s planned statements on the U.S. occupation plan were rescheduled and the new speech was planned.
There was a different language prepared for various results in the trial, although all versions included recognition of the outpouring caused by Floyd’s death. Assistants have been working on the language to get a presidential statement over the past week or so.
Biden called on the country to continue to hear the cries of activists who have sounded the alarm about police brutality in the months following Floyd’s death.
“We have to listen. I can’t breathe. I can’t breathe. Those were George Floyd’s last words. We can’t let those words die with him. We have to keep hearing those words.”
“In my opinion, it’s overwhelming,” Biden told the Oval Office, where he was meeting with Hispanic lawmakers. “I wouldn’t say it if the jury wasn’t kidnapped.”
This is a last minute story and will be updated.
CNN’s Phil Mattingly, Jeff Zeleny, Kevin Liptak, Allison Malloy and Jason Hoffman contributed to this report.