Ahead of George Floyd’s funeral on Tuesday, Joe Biden met with George Floyd’s family members in Houston.
On Monday, Joe Biden and his wife Dr. Jill Biden met with George Floyd’s family at a restaurant in Houston, Texas. Biden, former Vice President and presumptive Democratic nominee, met with the family one day ahead of Floyd’s funeral, and even though they were invited to attend, a Biden campaign official told CBS that they did not want to cause any distractions with their staff and Secret Service.
The meeting between the Bidens and Floyd’s family lasted for over an hour, during which they spoke about grieving. In an interview with CBS, Biden said, “It’s hard enough to grieve, but it’s much harder to do it in public.”
Biden noted that Floyd’s daughter was present at the meeting and quoted her last week saying that her father was “gonna change the world.”
“I think her daddy is gonna change the world,” Biden said, “I think what’s happened is one of those great inflection points in American history, for real in terms of civil liberty, civil rights, and… just treating people with dignity.”
Benjamin Crump, the Floyd family’s attorney, was also at the meeting and he tweeted afterward: “He listened, heard their pain, and shared in their woe. That compassion meant the world to this grieving family.”
Biden: ‘I don’t support defunding the police’
Later, in an interview with “CBS Evening News” anchor Norah O’Donnell, Biden revealed that he does not support defunding the police, an idea that has gained traction since the death of Floyd.
“No, I don’t support defunding the police,” Biden said. “I support conditioning federal aid to police, based on whether or not they meet certain basic standards of decency and honorableness. And, in fact, are able to demonstrate they can protect the community and everybody in the community.”