President Biden has reached out to the family of George Floyd as they, and the nation, await a verdict in the trial of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin.
White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a tweet that the president spoke with Floyd's family Monday, "to check in with them and also share that the family was in his prayers."
President Biden spoke with the family of George Floyd yesterday to check in with them and also share that the family was in his prayers.
— Jen Psaki (@PressSec) April 20, 2021
"He was just calling," Floyd's younger brother, Philonise, told NBC's Today show. "He knows how it is to lose a family member, and he knows the process of what we're going through. So he was just letting us know that he was praying for us, and hoping that everything will come out to be OK."
Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.
At Monday's White House briefing, Psaki was asked if Biden will be "disappointed" if a not guilty verdict is returned. She said the White House did not want to get ahead of the jury and the legal process, but was certain Biden would speak after a verdict.
Psaki said the president "recognizes the issue of police violence against people of color, communities of color is one of great anguish, and it's exhausting and quite emotional at times."
As NPR's Juana Summers has reported, the Chauvin trial presents what could be the first major flashpoint over race and policing in Biden's presidency.
The jury began deliberating Monday after hearing 13 days of testimony in the case.
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