Report: Biden To Meet With George Floyd’s Family

TOPLINE

Former Vice President Joe Biden will meet with the family of George Floyd, a black man whose death in police custody has sparked nationwide protests, and will deliver a video address at Floyd’s funeral on Monday, the New York Times reported Sunday.

KEY FACTS

Key Background

A video that surfaced earlier this month of Floyd saying “I can’t breathe” as a Minneapolis police officer knelt on his neck for nearly 9 minutes kicked off massive protests against police brutality in cities across the country. A week and a half in, the protests are still going strong both in the US and internationally, with massive marches held recently in England and Australia.

Key Quote

“For the President to try to put any other words in the mouth of George Floyd is frankly despicable. And, the fact that he did so on a day when Black unemployment rose and black youth unemployment skyrocketed tells you everything you need to know about who this man is,” Biden said after Trump declared on Friday it was “a great day” for Floyd due to reduced unemployment numbers.

Big Number

49%. Biden is typically seen as more capable than Trump at handling issues of race. A Wall Street Journal poll released Sunday found that Biden is favored over Trump 49% to 30% to address the concerns of the African American Community and 50% to 26% to address the concerns of the Hispanic and Latino community. 51% also said they think Biden would do a better job bringing the country together, compared to 26% who said Trump would do a better job.