Biden reacts after Floyd verdict: ‘We can’t stop here’

WASHINGTON, DC — President Joe Biden said Tuesday evening that the conviction of former Minneapolis Police Officer Derek Chauvin in the killing of George Floyd “can be a giant step forward” for the nation in the fight against systemic racism.

Biden spoke from the White House hours after the verdict alongside Vice President Kamala Harris, with the pair calling for Congress to act swiftly to address policing reform.

“It’s not enough,” Biden said of the verdict. “We can’t stop here.”

Harris said, “A measure of justice isn’t the same as equal justice.”

Biden spoke after telephoning Floyd’s family, telling them, “We’re all so relieved.”

Chauvin was convicted of two counts of murder and one of manslaughter in the death of Floyd, a case that sparked a national reckoning on race and policing.

Biden said he hoped the verdict would give momentum to congressional police reform efforts.

Floyd family attorney Ben Crump posted video on Twitter of a phone call from Biden and Harris to the family. Asked by a family member how he was doing, Biden said, “Feeling better now. Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice.”

“This is a day of justice,” Harris told the family after joining Biden to watch the verdict in the private dining room off the Oval Office.