Biden and Harris Call George Floyd's Family After Guilty Verdict

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris called the family of George Floyd hours after former police officer Derek Chauvin was found guilty of Floyd's murder this afternoon.

In footage shared by the family's attorney, Ben Crump, President Biden is heard saying, "Nothing is going to make it all better, but at least now there is some justice," according to NBC News.

Biden also mentioned Floyd's young daughter, Gianna, who famously said her father "changed the world" in a viral video last summer as widespread protests against police brutality and systemic racism arose in the wake Floyd's death. "I think of Gianna's comment, 'My dad is gonna change the world,'" the president said on today's call. "It's gonna start to change now."

He also told Floyd's loved ones, "You're an incredible family. I wish I was there to put my arms around you."

Vice President Harris spoke after, commending the family's "courage" and "strength." She added, "In George's name and memory, we are going to make sure that his legacy is in tact and that history will look back at this moment and know that it was an inflection moment. ... We really do believe that with your leadership and the president that we have in the White House, that we are going to make something good come out of this tragedy."

President Biden also called the Floyd family ahead of the verdict on Monday, George's older brother Philonise Floyd revealed on the Today Show this morning. "He knows how it is to lose a family member, and he knows the process of what we’re going through," he said. "So he was just letting us know that he was praying for us, hoping that everything will come out to be OK."

Former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama also responded to news of the conviction this afternoon in a statement saying the jury did "the right thing." However, they still acknowledged that the fight for justice continues on. "While today's verdict may have been a necessary step on the road to progress, it was far from a sufficient one," they said. "We cannot rest."

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