Asked repeatedly to say 'Black lives matter,' Mike Pence says 'all lives matter'

Authored by edition.cnn.com and submitted by Stock412

(CNN) Vice President Mike Pence declined to say the words "Black lives matter" during an interview with an ABC affiliate in Pennsylvania on Friday, instead saying that "all lives matter."

"Let me just say that what happened to George Floyd was a tragedy," Pence told 6ABC Action News 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."

The distinction between saying "Black lives matter" and "all lives matter" has emerged as something of a cultural dividing line amid the nationwide discussion about racial equality that has been touched off in recent weeks. The phrase "Black lives matter" has gained widespread use in recent years as a way to draw attention specifically to deadly encounters between Black Americans and police.

"Forgive me for pressing you on this, sir," anchor 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 acknowledgment 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?"

Skelemania on June 20th, 2020 at 00:27 UTC »

I've lived in Indiana all my life. Mike Pence is a fucking idiot. Look up what he said about AIDS in the past. Yet my father will always defend him by saying "I like Mike. He's a good man." What makes him a good man, dad? Silence. Always silence. Yet he keeps saying it.

IsThereSomethingNew on June 19th, 2020 at 23:37 UTC »

His career is already over, hopefully he is unemployed come January.

beardednutgargler on June 19th, 2020 at 23:34 UTC »

When asked if Pence understands what it means he shows he has no clue.