Washington, May 30:Joe Biden lamented the “open wound” of the nation’s systemic racism on Friday as he responded to the police killing of a black man in Minnesota.
He drew an implicit contrast with President Donald Trump, who has suggested authorities could respond with violence to the protests that followed George Floyd’s death.
“The original sin of this country still stains our nation today,” Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said in remarks broadcast from his home in Wilmington, Delaware. “It’s time for us to take a hard look at uncomfortable truths.”
Biden announced his bid for the presidency last year arguing he’s uniquely positioned to unite a deeply divided country. He pointed specifically to Trump’s response to a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, as unworthy of America’s people and values.
As the country endures another spasm of racial unrest, the central premise of Biden’s campaign is being tested.
Biden is responding by positioning himself as an empathetic counter to Trump, who often struggles to convey emotion or connect on a personal level during moments of crisis.
Biden said he spoke with Floyd’s family and demanded justice for his death while calling for “real police reform that holds all cops up to the high standards that so many of them actually meet.”
The president later said that he too had spoken with Floyd’s family and called them “terrific people.”
Trump initially condemned police actions in Floyd’s death, but later agitated the unrest by tweeting that protesters could be met with violent police resistance. He has also escalated an ongoing battle with Twitter, which flagged his post for possibly inciting violence.
“America is on fire,” Rep. Val Demings, a Florida Democrat who is a potential running mate for Biden, said in an interview Friday. “And this president is standing there with gasoline. He is dangerous. He’s destructive, he’s dangerous and he can’t even rise to this occasion.” Without mentioning him by name, Biden made clear he would approach the presidency differently than Trump has.
“This is no time for incendiary tweets. This is no time to encourage violence,” Biden said. “This is a national crisis, and we need real leadership right now. Leadership that will bring everyone to the table so we can take measures to root out systemic racism.” He tried to make the rest of the country feel what it was like to be African American in modern US society.
“Every day, African Americans go about their lives with constant anxiety and trauma, wondering — who will be next,” he said, adding, “the anger and the frustration and the exhaustion — it’s undeniable.”
“Imagine if every time your husband or son, wife or daughter left the house, you feared for their safety from bad actors and bad police,” he said. (AGENCIES)
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