Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Trump Just Claimed George Floyd Would Say 'This Is a Great Thing' and Joe Biden Made Him Instantly Regret It

Trump Just Claimed George Floyd Would Say 'This Is a Great Thing' and Joe Biden Made Him Instantly Regret It
C-SPAN // @ABCPolitics/Twitter

Correction June 5, 5:18pm: A previous version of this story asserted that Trump's comments were in the context of the new jobs number. Headline and body have been revised to reflect proper context.

The nation continues to grieve for George Floyd, an unarmed Black father and brother who was murdered by police in Minnesota late last month. Floyd's death highlighted the centuries-long epidemic of police brutality against Black people in the United States, and inspired thousands of people—many of whom had long stayed silent—to take to the streets in protest.


A televised memorial service for Floyd occurred on Thursday, where his family mourned, Civil Rights icon Al Sharpton eulogized, and witnesses stood in silence for eight minutes and 46 seconds—the amount of time former police officer Derek Chauvin knelt with his full weight onto George Floyd's neck.

Only a day later, a new jobs report found that the skyrocketing unemployment rate began to fall for the first time, adding 2.5 million jobs as closures from the pandemic began to ease. This was after a total of over 40 million new unemployment claims in the face of pandemic-induced closures.

President Donald Trump was ecstatic and leapt to take the credit. He tweeted quotes from amazed Fox News anchors and announced an impromptu morning news conference, where Vice President Mike Pence and other officials took turns praising him.

Trump spoke as well, and soon invoked the memory of George Floyd.

Watch below.

Trump said:

"Hopefully George is looking down right now and saying 'This is a great thing that's happening for our country.' It's a great day for him. It's a great day for everybody."

Some took Trump's comments to mean he was saying that Floyd would be looking down to say that the jobs report made it a great day in the United States, rather than the increased visibility of the value of Black lives.

Among those speaking out against him was Trump's presumptive 2020 opponent, former Vice President Joe Biden.

Watch below.

Biden said:

"We're speaking of a man who was brutally killed by an act of needless violence and by a larger tide of injustice that has metastasized on this president's watch...George Floyd's last words, 'I can't breathe, I can't breathe,' have echoed all across this nation and quite frankly around the world. For the president to try to put any other words in the mouth of George Floyd I frankly think is despicable."

Many found the contrast between Biden and Trump to be crystal clear.



Biden was far from the only one to condemn Trump's remarks.




More from People/donald-trump

Cover of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary
Brandon Bell/Getty Images

People's Response To Merriam-Webster's 2024 Word Of The Year Just Proved Their Point

Merriam-Webster dictionary nailed it with their 2024 Word of the Year selection that accurately defined the divisive reaction to the 2024 presidential election results.

The dictionary's account on X (formerly Twitter) declared this year's Word of the Year was, "Polarization," and joked:

Keep ReadingShow less
Nancy Mace
Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

Nancy Mace Rages After Nobody Will Print Her Transphobic Holiday Wrapping Paper Design

South Carolina Republican Representative Nancy Mace was called out after sharing a photo of her anti-trans wrapping paper design to lament that "no company" would print it due to its "offensive" nature.

Mace, who has courted significant controversy for her efforts to bar Sarah McBride, the first transgender member of Congress, from using the bathroom that corresponds with her gender identity, shared on social media that she attempted to create custom wrapping paper, seemingly intended for raising campaign funds.

Keep ReadingShow less
Eugenio Derbez; Selena Gomez
Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images, Amy Sussman/Getty Images

'Coda' Star Apologizes After Selena Gomez's Classy Response To His 'Emilia Pérez' Criticism

Actor Eugenio Derbez walked back his harsh review of Selena Gomez's Spanish in the new musical crime comedy film Emilia Pérez after she responded with class to the tough criticism of not being a fluent speaker.

Gomez stars as Spanish-speaking character Jessi Del Monte, the wife of a cartel kingpin who undergoes gender-affirming surgery to start a new life as the titular Emilia Pérez.

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Donald Trump
NBC

Trump Dragged After Claiming He 'Started Using' The Word 'Groceries' During The Election

President-elect Donald Trump was dragged after claiming he "started using" the word "groceries" during the election—before asking, "Who uses the word?"

Trump, in an interview with Meet the Press host Kristen Welker, emphasized the soaring grocery prices affecting millions of Americans as a pivotal factor in his victory over Vice President Kamala Harris in the race for the White House.

Keep ReadingShow less
man pointing up
Alex Sheldon on Unsplash

People Break Down Their 'I F*cking Knew It!' Experiences

Sometimes you feel like you just know something is true, even if you can't prove it.

You may find out you're completely wrong. People usually don't like to talk about or acknowledge when that happens.

Keep ReadingShow less