Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is sharing his thoughts on race relations and the role president should have while improving current conditions.
Biden participated in a Virtual Town Hall meeting on Thursday where he discussed the racial relations in the United States.
“The history of our country is not a fairy tale, it doesn’t guarantee a happy ending, but as I said earlier, we’re in a battle for the soul of this nation,” Biden said. “It’s been a constant push and pull for the last 200 years.”
He also stressed the importance of the United States being led by a president focused on setting an example for the country.
“The president of the United States must be part of the solution and not part of the problem,” Biden said.
See Biden’s remarks below:
Biden went on to discuss the nation as a whole as he insisted he does believe a small percentage of people “are just not very good people.” However, he believes it is important to not allow our country to be defined by those people.
“Do we really think this is as good as we can be, as a nation? I don’t think the vast majority of people think that,” the former vice president said, adding, “There are probably anywhere from 10 to 15 percent of the people out there that are just not very good people, but that’s not who we are.”
Biden went on to stress the importance of unity during a difficult time, saying, “The vast majority of the people are decent, and we have to appeal to that and we have to unite people — bring them together. Bring them together.”
Biden’s latest call for police reform, systemic changes, unity, and equality comes amid several days of protests over the death of George Floyd while in Minneapolis police custody. Despite the civil unrest, Biden still believes the country can move forward in the right direction.
Biden said, “History teaches us that out of some of our darkest moments, we have made our greatest progress.”