Sen. Kamala Harris blasted President Trump for invoking George Floyd’s name during a press conference held to discuss economic gains.
During Trump’s Friday speech, he veered away from discussing the economy and surprisingly good unemployment numbers to talk about the need for “fair treatment from law enforcement” when he mentioned Floyd’s name.
“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,” Trump said.
Harris, a potential running mate for Joe Biden, hit back at Trump following his remarks. She posted a video of Trump’s statement along with a caption telling Trump to “keep George Floyd’s name out of your mouth until you can say Black Lives Matter.”
.@realDonaldTrump, keep George Floyd’s name out of your mouth until you can say Black Lives Matter.pic.twitter.com/YJ6wPw0Hto
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) June 5, 2020
Demonstrations calling attention to racial injustice and police brutality began across the country after video emerged that showed Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck for nearly nine minutes while he pleaded for his life.
Chauvin was arrested on a third-degree murder charge, which was later upped to second-degree murder. The other three officers involved in Floyd’s detainment are also facing charges. Prior to the charges, Harris called Floyd’s death a “public execution” and said there needed to be “swift accountability.”
“The man couldn’t breathe. He was begging. He was begging to be able to breathe, and he was executed. It was a public execution,” she said.
