Biden slams Trump for pulling George Floyd into his White House address on unemployment

Former Vice-President and presumptive Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden slammed US President Donald Trump on Friday for taking George Floyd's name as he took a victory lap over the unemployment numbers in the country. Speaking from the Delaware State University, Biden said that " For the President to try to put any other words in the mouth of George Floyd, I frankly think it's despicable."

Joe Biden further said that "the fact that he did so on the day when black unemployment rose, Hispanic unemployment rose, black youth unemployment skyrocketed, tells you everything you need to know about this man and what he really cares about." The former Vice-President added that George Floyd's last words "I can't breathe, I can't breathe" have been echoing across the nation and the world. 

Earlier on Friday during his daily briefing at the White House, Trump linked the jobs report to George Floyd, suggesting that he would be pleased with higher employment figures released. “Hopefully, George is looking down right now and saying there’s a great thing happening for our country. It’s a great day for him, it’s a great day for everybody,” Trump had said.

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George Floyd's death

George Floyd, a 46-year-old African American man, died in Minneapolis earlier last week. As per reports, Floyd was arrested by the local police for unspecified charges on May 26. A tussle is said to have broken out between George Floyd and the police officials, which resulted in Floyd’s death after being subdued for several minutes by an officer. In a video that went viral on the internet, the officer was seen pressing his knee against Floyd's neck who was seen gasping for air before turning motionless.

George Floyd's death has triggered mass unrest in various parts of the US. Police officer Derek Chauvin and three other officers - Thomas Lane, Tou Thao, and J Alexander Kueng - were later fired by the Minneapolis Police Department. Chauvin has been charged with second-degree murder.

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