Barack Obama speaks out over George Floyd's death: This shouldn't be normal in 2020 America

Barack Obama has spoken out about the death of George Floyd, an unarmed black man who died after being pinned down by US police. ​

The former president penned a moving statement lamenting Mr Floyd’s treatment in police custody, saying: “This shouldn’t be normal in 2020 America.”

Mr Floyd, 46, was killed on Monday after Derek Chauvin, 44, knelt on his neck for nearly ten minutes.

Chauvin was subsequently fired from the Minneapolis police force and, on Friday, was charged with the 46-year-old’s murder.

In his statement, Mr Obama said many people in America would like life to just “get back to normal” in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

But, he wrote: "Being treated differently on account of race is tragically, painfully, maddeningly 'normal’ for millions of Americans.”

“This shouldn’t be normal in 2020 America,” he added. “It can’t be normal.”

“If we want our children to grow up in a nation that lives up to its highest ideals, we can and must be better."

He continued: "It falls on all of us, regardless of our race and station (...) to work together to create a ‘new normal in which the legacy of bigotry and unequal treatment no longer infects our institutions or our hearts.”

Meanwhile, his former Vice President Joe Biden shared similar sentiments, as he spoke of the "open wound" of racism still infecting the US.

In a short public address on Friday, the presidential hopeful said: “We are a country with an open wound. None of us can turn away."

Mr Floyd’s death has led to violent protests in the city of Minneapolis and across the country, with Donald Trump threatening “action” and branding the demonstrators “thugs.”

But Mr Biden said now was “no time for incendiary tweets. No time to incite violence”.

“This is time for real leadership,” he said.

Later in the day, Donald Trump told reporters he had spoken to members of Mr Floyd's family and "expressed (his) sorrow."

Addressing footage of Mr Floyd's brutal arrest, the president said: "It was just a horrible thing to witness and to watch. It certainly looked like there was no excuse for it."

Mr Trump says the family grieved during the call, adding: "I could see very much that they loved their brother."

He also spoke about looters during the protests, saying they had done a great disservice to their state, city and the country.

"We can never let that happen again," he said.