President Biden calls and prays for George Floyd’s family as nation awaits verdict in Derek Chauvin trial

President Joe Biden called the family of George Floyd on Monday to let them know he was praying for them as the nation awaits a verdict in the trial of former police officer Derek Chauvin accused of Floyd’s death.

Biden said he’s praying the verdict the jury returns is “the right verdict.” “The evidence is overwhelming in my view,” he said.

In a conversation with NBC’s Today show, Floyd’s young brother, Philonise Floyd, said he talked to the president.

“He was just calling,” said the younger Floyd, “He knows what it’s like 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.”

Biden said he waited until the jury in Chauvin’s trial was sequestered before he made the call. “I’ve come to know George’s family,” the president told reporters. “They’re a good family,” he said. “And they’re calling for peace and tranquillity.”

Chauvin, a 45-year-old former Minneapolis officer, is charged with second-degree murder, third-degree murder, and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd’s death while in police custody on May 25, 2020. Chauvin’s body-cam footage shows him pressing his knee to Floyd’s neck for more than nine minutes as Floyd pleaded that he could not breathe.