Joe Biden calls Black Lives Matter protests a 'wake up call for our nation' and slams Trump for tear gassing peaceful demonstrators

• On Tuesday, Joe Biden addressed the national protests against police brutality and racism provoked by George Floyd's death at the hands of police.
• The former vice president attempted to draw a stark contrast between his response to the demonstrations and the president's handling of the national unrest.
• "I won't traffic in fear and division. I won't fan the flames of hate," Biden said. "I will seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country — not use them for political gain."

Joe Biden, the presumptive Democratic nominee, delivered a speech on Tuesday morning addressing the national protests against police brutality and racism provoked by the killing of George Floyd in Minneapolis police custody.

The former vice president drew a stark distinction between his response to the demonstrations and the president's handling of the national unrest.

"I won't traffic in fear and division. I won't fan the flames of hate," Biden said in Philadelphia on Tuesday, according to his prepared remarks. "I will seek to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued this country — not use them for political gain."

In a call to action, Biden urged Americans to look at the example of civil rights leaders, quoting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and citing the bravery of Ella Baker and Rosa Parks. But he argued that the battle against hate and division is constant.

"I wish I could say that hate began with Donald Trump and will end with him," he said. "It didn't and it won't."

Biden's comments came soon after President Donald Trump's Monday evening White House address, during which the president called on governors to "dominate" protesters with "overwhelming force" and threatened to send in the military if states don't quell the violence and looting.

The former vice president criticized Trump's decision to use violent force on peaceful protesters outside the White House on Monday evening in order to clear the way for his photo opportunity outside St. John's church.

"When peaceful protesters are dispersed by the order of the President from the doorstep of the people's house, the White House — using tear gas and flash grenades — in order to stage a photo op at a noble church, we can be forgiven for believing that the president is more interested in power than in principle," Biden said.

Biden on Sunday made an unannounced visit to a site in Wilmington, Delaware where protests against police brutality and racism took place the night before. And on Monday the former vice president met with Black community leaders in Wilmington and hosted a virtual conference with big-city mayors.