Biden Says He Is 'Praying The Verdict Is The Right Verdict' In Floyd Case

Updated April 20, 2021 at 12:38 PM ET

President Biden, speaking as the jury in Derek Chauvin's murder trial is sequestered in its second day of deliberations, said Tuesday he is "praying the verdict is the right verdict, which is, I think it's overwhelming in my view."

President Biden has reached out to the family of George Floyd as they, and the nation, await the outcome of the trial of the former Minneapolis police officer accused of murdering Floyd.

Biden told reporters in the Oval Office that he can "only imagine the pressure and anxiety" the Floyd family is feeling and that he "wanted to see how they are doing."

He added that he wasn't going to say anything about the conversation, but Floyd's brother commented about it publicly today.

"He was just calling," Floyd's younger brother, Philonise, told NBC's Today show. "He knows how it is 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."

Chauvin is charged with second- and third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter in Floyd's death.

At Monday's White House briefing, Psaki was asked if Biden will be "disappointed" if a not guilty verdict is returned. She said the White House did not want to get ahead of the jury and the legal process, but was certain Biden would speak after a verdict.

Psaki said the president "recognizes the issue of police violence against people of color, communities of color is one of great anguish, and it's exhausting and quite emotional at times."

As NPR's Juana Summers has reported, the Chauvin trial presents what could be the first major flashpoint over race and policing in Biden's presidency.

The jury began deliberating Monday after hearing 13 days of testimony in the case. [Copyright 2021 NPR]