SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
A protester prays in front of the memorial of George Floyd who died in custody on May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis. (Photo: Kerem Yucel/AFP via Getty Images)
Though Busily Ranting on Twitter, Trump Completely Silent on Police Killing of George Floyd as Biden Demands Federal Probe
"George Floyd deserved better and his family deserves justice. His life mattered, I'm grateful for the swift action in Minneapolis to fire the officers involved—they must be held responsible for their egregious actions," said Biden.
May 27, 2020
While President Donald Trump has yet to say a single word about the Monday killing of George Floyd at the hands Minneapolis police officers, presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in contrast has joined with those demanding a "thorough" federal investigation into the incident that has sparked large protests and nationwide calls for justice.
"George Floyd deserved better and his family deserves justice. His life mattered," Biden tweeted late Tuesday as demonstrators were tear-gassed by police in the streets of Minneapolis. "I'm grateful for the swift action in Minneapolis to fire the officers involved--they must be held responsible for their egregious actions. The FBI should conduct a thorough investigation."
As of this writing, Trump had yet to comment on Floyd's death though more than 24 hours had passed since video footage emerged Tuesday showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the back of Floyd's neck, disregarding the handcuffed man's repeated pleas for his life. The Minneapolis Police Department claimed in a statement late Monday that Floyd died of an unspecified "medical incident."
While ignoring Floyd's killing, the president on Wednesday did find time to tweet about his "Obamagate" conspiracy theory and Twitter's decision to fact-check his erroneous attack on vote-by-mail.
\u201cLast week the Trump campaign had an ad appealing to black voters/criminal justice reformers by blasting Biden\u2019s crime bill work. This week, Biden comments on the George Floyd killing and the "ingrained systemic cycle of injustice," but there's no Trump statement yet.\u201d— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1590596445
Progressive radio host Benjamin Dixon also noted Trump's apparent lack of concern for what happened to Floyd:
\u201c@realDonaldTrump Black conservatives, see how your guy is more enraged over his twitter account than Black men being killed by police?\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1590589340
Biden's demand for a federal investigation into Floyd's killing followed similar calls from civil rights groups and members of Congress.
John Gordon, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, said in a statement Tuesday that the "horrific video" of Floyd's killing "underscores the immediate need for a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation" into his death.
"The community needs a comprehensive review and the reform of police practices and policies," said Gordon. "The officers involved--not just the perpetrator, but also those who stood by and did nothing--must be held accountable."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, The U.S. is on a fast track to authoritarianism like nothing I've ever seen. Meanwhile, corporate news outlets are utterly capitulating to Trump, twisting their coverage to avoid drawing his ire while lining up to stuff cash in his pockets. That's why I believe that Common Dreams is doing the best and most consequential reporting that we've ever done. Our small but mighty team is a progressive reporting powerhouse, covering the news every day that the corporate media never will. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. And to ignite change for the common good. Now here's the key piece that I want all our readers to understand: None of this would be possible without your financial support. That's not just some fundraising cliche. It's the absolute and literal truth. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. Will you donate now to help power the nonprofit, independent reporting of Common Dreams? Thank you for being a vital member of our community. Together, we can keep independent journalism alive when it’s needed most. - Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
While President Donald Trump has yet to say a single word about the Monday killing of George Floyd at the hands Minneapolis police officers, presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in contrast has joined with those demanding a "thorough" federal investigation into the incident that has sparked large protests and nationwide calls for justice.
"George Floyd deserved better and his family deserves justice. His life mattered," Biden tweeted late Tuesday as demonstrators were tear-gassed by police in the streets of Minneapolis. "I'm grateful for the swift action in Minneapolis to fire the officers involved--they must be held responsible for their egregious actions. The FBI should conduct a thorough investigation."
As of this writing, Trump had yet to comment on Floyd's death though more than 24 hours had passed since video footage emerged Tuesday showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the back of Floyd's neck, disregarding the handcuffed man's repeated pleas for his life. The Minneapolis Police Department claimed in a statement late Monday that Floyd died of an unspecified "medical incident."
While ignoring Floyd's killing, the president on Wednesday did find time to tweet about his "Obamagate" conspiracy theory and Twitter's decision to fact-check his erroneous attack on vote-by-mail.
\u201cLast week the Trump campaign had an ad appealing to black voters/criminal justice reformers by blasting Biden\u2019s crime bill work. This week, Biden comments on the George Floyd killing and the "ingrained systemic cycle of injustice," but there's no Trump statement yet.\u201d— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1590596445
Progressive radio host Benjamin Dixon also noted Trump's apparent lack of concern for what happened to Floyd:
\u201c@realDonaldTrump Black conservatives, see how your guy is more enraged over his twitter account than Black men being killed by police?\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1590589340
Biden's demand for a federal investigation into Floyd's killing followed similar calls from civil rights groups and members of Congress.
John Gordon, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, said in a statement Tuesday that the "horrific video" of Floyd's killing "underscores the immediate need for a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation" into his death.
"The community needs a comprehensive review and the reform of police practices and policies," said Gordon. "The officers involved--not just the perpetrator, but also those who stood by and did nothing--must be held accountable."
While President Donald Trump has yet to say a single word about the Monday killing of George Floyd at the hands Minneapolis police officers, presumptive 2020 Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden in contrast has joined with those demanding a "thorough" federal investigation into the incident that has sparked large protests and nationwide calls for justice.
"George Floyd deserved better and his family deserves justice. His life mattered," Biden tweeted late Tuesday as demonstrators were tear-gassed by police in the streets of Minneapolis. "I'm grateful for the swift action in Minneapolis to fire the officers involved--they must be held responsible for their egregious actions. The FBI should conduct a thorough investigation."
As of this writing, Trump had yet to comment on Floyd's death though more than 24 hours had passed since video footage emerged Tuesday showing a Minneapolis police officer kneeling on the back of Floyd's neck, disregarding the handcuffed man's repeated pleas for his life. The Minneapolis Police Department claimed in a statement late Monday that Floyd died of an unspecified "medical incident."
While ignoring Floyd's killing, the president on Wednesday did find time to tweet about his "Obamagate" conspiracy theory and Twitter's decision to fact-check his erroneous attack on vote-by-mail.
\u201cLast week the Trump campaign had an ad appealing to black voters/criminal justice reformers by blasting Biden\u2019s crime bill work. This week, Biden comments on the George Floyd killing and the "ingrained systemic cycle of injustice," but there's no Trump statement yet.\u201d— David Weigel (@David Weigel) 1590596445
Progressive radio host Benjamin Dixon also noted Trump's apparent lack of concern for what happened to Floyd:
\u201c@realDonaldTrump Black conservatives, see how your guy is more enraged over his twitter account than Black men being killed by police?\u201d— Donald J. Trump (@Donald J. Trump) 1590589340
Biden's demand for a federal investigation into Floyd's killing followed similar calls from civil rights groups and members of Congress.
John Gordon, executive director of the ACLU of Minnesota, said in a statement Tuesday that the "horrific video" of Floyd's killing "underscores the immediate need for a thorough, fair, and transparent investigation" into his death.
"The community needs a comprehensive review and the reform of police practices and policies," said Gordon. "The officers involved--not just the perpetrator, but also those who stood by and did nothing--must be held accountable."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.