Biden says he's praying for the 'right verdict' in Chauvin trial

(Image credit: Doug Mills-Pool/Getty Images)

last updated 20 April 2021

With the jury now sequestered and cut off from the outside world, President Biden felt comfortable weighing in on Derek Chauvin's murder trial Tuesday.

Biden said he's praying for the "right verdict" and that the "evidence is overwhelming," indicating he believes Chauvin was responsible for George Floyd's death last May. He added that he has also spoken to Floyd's family over the phone.

Although Biden's stance on the trial seems clear, he once again called for "peace and tranquility" in response to the verdict, no matter what it is, amid government concerns about a potentially violent public reaction to an acquittal.

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Some observers questioned Biden's choice to opine on the trial at all, even with the jury unable to access the public discourse at this point. Tim O'Donnell

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Tim is a staff writer at The Week and has contributed to Bedford and Bowery and The New York Transatlantic. He is a graduate of Occidental College and NYU's journalism school. Tim enjoys writing about baseball, Europe, and extinct megafauna. He lives in New York City.