Black Lives Matter movement

Vice President Mike Pence attends a roundtable meeting at the White House on June 15 in Washington.
Vice President Mike Pence attends a roundtable meeting at the White House on June 15 in Washington. Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Vice President Mike Pence declined to say the words “Black lives matter” during an interview with an ABC affiliate in Pennsylvania, instead saying that “all lives matter.”

“Let me just say that what happened to George Floyd was a tragedy,” Pence told ABC6 in Philadelphia, when asked directly if he would say that Black lives matter. “And in this nation, especially on Juneteenth, we celebrate the fact that from the founding of this nation we’ve cherished the ideal that all, all of us are created equal, and endowed by our creator with certain inalienable rights. And so all lives matter in a very real sense.”

“Forgive me for pressing you on this, sir,” ABC6 reporter Brian Taff said to Pence. “But I will note you did not say those words, ‘Black lives matter,’ and there is an important distinction. People are saying, of course all lives matter, but to say the words is an acknowledgement that Black lives also matter at a time in this country when it appears that there’s a segment of our society that doesn’t agree. So why will you not say those words?”

Pence responded: “Well, I don’t accept the fact that there’s a segment of American society that disagrees, in the preciousness and importance of every human life. And it’s one of the reasons why as we advance important reforms in law enforcement, as we look for ways to strengthen and improve our inner cities, that we’re not going to stop there.” 

Pence touted the Black unemployment rate pre-pandemic and the development of economic “opportunity zones,” adding that the administration is “absolutely determined to improve” the lives of African Americans.

“And yet, one final time, you won’t say the words and we understand your explanation,” Taff responded.

Pence was also asked about a video that President Donald Trump posted to Twitter on Thursday that was labeled “manipulated media” by the social network.

“When you watch much of the national news media,” Pence responded, “it seems like they focus more every day on what divides us in this country. And I think the President saw an opportunity with a good sense of humor to once again challenge the media narrative.”  

Earlier, press secretary Kayleigh McEnany said during a White House briefing that Trump was making a “satirical point that was quite funny” when he tweeted the video.

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source: cnn.com