WASHINGTON _ In his first formal response to protests in Minneapolis sparked after a black man died in police custody, Joe Biden called for the nation to confront the persistence of systemic racism. His remarks came several hours after President Donald Trump called protesters "thugs" and warned in a message on Twitter that "when the looting starts, the shooting starts."
The episode has prompted outrage and demonstrations across the country about police violence against African Americans.
Biden, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, said he had spoken with Floyd's family and struck an empathetic note that is a trademark of a man who has suffered much personal loss in his own family. He did not mention Trump by name but clearly attacked the president's response to the burgeoning crisis.
"This is no time for incendiary tweets. It's no time to encourage violence," Biden said in a short speech livestreamed from his campaign website. "This is a national crisis, and we need real leadership right now."
The fast-unfolding, emotional conflict presented a real-time opportunity to size up the contrasting leadership styles of Trump and Biden, who launched his presidential campaign more than a year ago with an attack on the president's response to white supremicist demonstrations in Charlottesville.
Biden's comments were calm and measured, and focused on the challenges of addressing what he called the "open wound" of racism.
"Nothing about this will be easy or comfortable," he said. "But if we simply allow this wound to scab over once more without treating the underlying injury, we will never truly heal."
Floyd died Monday after a white police officer was videotaped kneeling on his neck for several minutes. The officer, Derek Chauvin, who was fired after the incident, was arrested Friday and charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, the county attorney, Mike Freeman, announced.
The incident has sparked outrage and protests across the U.S., including in Minneapolis itself, where demonstrators late Thursday overran and set fire to a police station near the spot where Floyd, 46, was pinned down.
Trump initially called Floyd's death a tragedy but shifted his tone to focus on the protests.
Biden responded to Trump on Twitter by saying, "Enough."
"He is calling for violence against American citizens during a moment of pain for so many," Biden said. "I'm furious, and you should be too."
