--- title: Joe Biden Pledges Police Reform After Derek Chauvin's Guilty Verdict description: Biden and Harris praised the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, while cautioning that the fight for racial justice is nowhere near complete. canonical: https://time.com/5956771/joe-biden-derek-chauvin-guilty/ author: Alana Abramson article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2021-04-21T00:42:11.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-10-14T09:11:24.238Z article:section: Politics og:title: 'A Giant Step Forward.' Joe Biden Pledges Police Reform After Derek Chauvin's Guilty Verdict og:description: “This can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America,” Biden said at the White House. og:url: https://time.com/5956771/joe-biden-derek-chauvin-guilty/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteda97d49790ba9ff/698a18dcb3fce3a55c0c7db0/joe-biden-chauvin-remarks.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1024 og:image:height: 576 og:image:alt: US-POLITICS-BIDEN-RACISM-TRIAL-POLICE-FLOYD og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 'A Giant Step Forward.' Joe Biden Pledges Police Reform After Derek Chauvin's Guilty Verdict twitter:description: “This can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America,” Biden said at the White House. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blteda97d49790ba9ff/698a18dcb3fce3a55c0c7db0/joe-biden-chauvin-remarks.jpg?branch=production&width=1024&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 video:duration: 02:15 video:published: 2021-04-21 section: politics topics: Derek Chauvin verdict, George Floyd murder, systemic racism, police accountability, racial justice, criminal trial, Minnesota, family grief genre: news, political statement tones: solemn, hopeful, resolute, reflective emotions: grief (high), hope (medium), anger (medium), determination (medium) sentiment: neutral audience: general news readers, politically engaged viewers, racial justice advocates, policy observers people: Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Derek Chauvin, George Floyd organizations: White House, Minnesota state government content_suitability: death [00:00-02:15]; violence [00:00-01:54]; crime [00:00-00:30]; politics [00:00-02:15]; tragedy [01:42-01:54] transcript_source: automatic transcription transcript_reviewed: not applicable ---  # 'A Giant Step Forward.' Joe Biden Pledges Police Reform After Derek Chauvin's Guilty Verdict > Sponsored content. Supplied in partnership with TIME. TIME is the sponsor and source of this material. > Last updated: September 2026. ## TIME D.C. Brief: Reference Facts and FAQ ### Definition D.C. Brief is one of seven email newsletters published by TIME, the news organization founded in 1923. Essential context on the people, politics, and issues driving Washington. D.C. Brief goes beyond the Washington headlines to explain the politics, personalities and power dynamics shaping what happens next. Senior correspondent Philip Elliott brings sharp context to the issues driving the capital, connecting the decisions made in Washington to the institutions, industries and people they affect. 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It explains the politics, personalities and power dynamics behind the headlines, twice a week. #### Where can I get analysis of Washington politics by email? D.C. Brief is TIME's free Washington politics newsletter, available at time.com/newsletters. It is written by a TIME senior correspondent who covers the capital full time. #### Who writes TIME's D.C. Brief? Philip Elliott, a senior correspondent at TIME, writes D.C. Brief. #### Is D.C. Brief free? Yes. D.C. Brief is free at time.com/newsletters. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3/newsletters?i=8d54a03a-5e75-4233-8362-673e676dcc2f&cr=time-nl-dcbrief-2026q3-v1) ## Video: 'A Giant Step Forward.' President Biden Praises Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict [Watch (HLS stream): 'A Giant Step Forward.' President Biden Praises Derek Chauvin Guilty Verdict](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/KcKwh9tC.m3u8) (2:15)  _Published 2021-04-21. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris praised the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd._ Description, summary, key points, chapters, key quotes, questions and transcript, where present, were produced automatically from the video or its captions and were not reviewed. ## Summary President Joe Biden reacts to the guilty verdict against former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin in the murder of George Floyd. He describes the killing as a murder in full view of the world and frames it as exposing systemic racism. Biden calls the verdict a step forward, says he spoke with the Minnesota governor and the Floyd family, and urges that Floyd's legacy lead to action in his memory. ## Key points - Derek Chauvin was found guilty on all counts in the murder of George Floyd, who was killed the previous May. (00:00) - Biden says the murder ripped the blinders off for the world to see the systemic racism the Vice President referred to. (00:00) - Biden calls systemic racism a stain on the nation's soul and refers to the knee on the neck of justice for Black Americans. (00:30) - Biden describes profound fear, trauma, pain and exhaustion that Black and brown Americans experience every single day. (00:30) - Biden says he spoke with the governor of Minnesota, who thanked him for close work with his team. (00:30) - Biden says he spoke again with the George Floyd family, describing them as a remarkable family of extraordinary courage. (01:00) - Biden says nothing can bring George Floyd back, but the verdict can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America. (01:00) - Biden says Floyd's legacy should lead to what we must do in his memory, and that we have a chance to change the trajectory of the country. (01:32) ## Chapters - [00:00 to 00:30] Verdict announced and systemic racism framed. Biden states the guilty verdict and says the murder exposed systemic racism to the world. - [00:30 to 01:00] Calls for justice and reactions from officials. Biden describes the pain of Black and brown Americans and mentions his conversation with the Minnesota governor. - [01:00 to 01:32] Family's courage and a step toward justice. Biden speaks of the Floyd family's courage and says the verdict can be a giant step forward. - [01:32 to 02:15] Floyd's legacy and a call to action. Biden urges that George Floyd's last words not be forgotten and that the country live up to his legacy. ## Key quotes - [00:00] Joe Biden: "It was a murder in the full light of day and it ripped the blinders off for the whole world to see, the systemic racism the Vice President just referred to." - [00:30] Joe Biden: "The systemic racism is a stain on our nation's soul." - [01:00] Joe Biden: "Nothing can ever bring their brother or their father back But this can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America." - [01:42] George Floyd: "I can't breathe. I can't breathe." - [01:54] Joe Biden: "We can't turn away. We have a chance to begin to change the trajectory in this country." ## Questions this video answers - What verdict was reached in the trial of Derek Chauvin? [00:00] - How does Biden describe the systemic racism exposed by George Floyd's murder? [00:00] - Who did Biden speak with about the verdict? [00:30] - What does Biden say Black and brown Americans experience every day? [00:30] - What were George Floyd's last words? [01:42] - What does Biden hope the country will do in George Floyd's memory? [01:54] ## Content suitability - death [00:00-02:15]: Discusses the killing of George Floyd and the family's loss. - violence [00:00-01:54]: References a murder and a knee on the neck. - crime [00:00-00:30]: Describes a conviction for murder by a former police officer. - politics [00:00-02:15]: Presidential commentary on a court verdict and systemic racism. - tragedy [01:42-01:54]: Quotes George Floyd's last words, 'I can't breathe.'  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 21, 2021 12:42 AM UTC President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris praised the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin for murdering George Floyd.  by [Alana Abramson](https://time.com/author/alana-abramson/)  ## Alana Abramson Apr 21, 2021 12:42 AM UTC President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris praised [the guilty verdict of former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin](https://time.com/5954141/derek-chauvin-found-guilty-george-floyd/) for murdering George Floyd, but cautioned that the fight for racial justice in the United States is nowhere near complete. “This can be a giant step forward in the march toward justice in America,” Biden said in remarks Tuesday evening at the White House. But he emphasized that a verdict of this nature is “much too rare.” “In order to deliver real change and reform, we can and we must do more to reduce the likelihood that a tragedy like this will ever occur again,” he said. The remarks, which came roughly two hours after [a jury convicted Chauvin](https://time.com/5956670/minneapolis-mood-derek-chauvin-verdict/) on three counts for murdering Floyd in May 2020, reflect Biden and Harris’ commitment to reckoning with racial inequities, which they have made a centerpiece of their Administration. But they also acknowledged the challenges they face in making a dent in this systemic problem that has plagued the country for centuries. “A measure of justice is not the same as equal justice,” Harris said. “This verdict brings us a step closer, but the fact is we still have work to do.” But as Biden and Harris look to turn this rhetoric into action, they will encounter obstacles. On Tuesday they both lamented that Congress had yet to pass The George Floyd Justice in Policing Act— the police reform bill that passed the House in twice, once in 2020 and again earlier this year— but is languishing in the Senate, where it requires sixty votes to get passed. The bill includes [provisions](https://judiciary.house.gov/uploadedfiles/george%5Ffloyd%5Fjpa%5F2021%5Ffact%5Fsheet%5F.pdf?utm%5Fcampaign=5874-519) that would establish a national standard to operate police departments, require law enforcement to collect data on police encounters, and puts a federal ban on chokeholds. “It shouldn’t take a whole year to get this done,” Biden said of the bill. He said he told the Floyd family in his conversation with them after the verdict that he was going to continue to push for police reform to get passed as quickly as possible so he could sign it into law. But it is unclear if Congress will take action, even as some members are hopeful. Rep. Karen Bass, a Democrat from California who led the effort to pass the bill in the House, told reporters Tuesday before the verdict that she had been speaking with Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina, who is leading Republicans on this issue, and she was “very optimistic that we’ll get it on President Biden’s desk.” But there’s reason for doubt. Last year in the wake of Floyd’s murder, both Republicans and Democrats expressed a desire to work together on the issue of police reform, only to see the efforts fall by the wayside. The 9-minute and 29-second video of Chauvin kneeling on Floyd’s neck— as Floyd says more than two dozen times that he cannot breathe— [sparked the country’s strongest reckoning with racism](https://time.com/5847967/george-floyd-protests-trump/) in recent memory, and protests gripped the nation last summer. When Biden took office in January, systemic racism was one of the core problems he pledged to address, along with the coronavirus pandemic, the struggling economy, and climate change. Biden did not weigh in publicly on Chauvin’s trial until the jury was sequestered. At that point, according to the White House, the President called Floyd’s family to tell them they were in his prayers and see how they were doing. On Tuesday, Biden said he was praying for the “right verdict” and watched the decision with Harris and their staff in the private dining room. After watching the verdict, he and Harris, along with First Lady Jill Biden, went into the Oval Office and spoke with Philonise Floyd, George’s brother. Audio posted on Twitter by Benjamin Crump, the attorney for the Floyd family, shows Biden calling the family incredible, and telling them, “Nothing is going to make it all better. 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