Pressed in an interview to say the words “Black lives matter,” Vice President Mike Pence responded “All lives matter.” During an interview with ABC6 Philadelphia, anchor Brian Taff described the ongoing protests against police brutality as fueled by the words “Black lives matter” and said to Pence, “There are only a handful of elected Republicans in Washington who have uttered those words, ‘Black lives matter.’ Are those words you will utter right here today? Can you say those words? 'Black lives matter'?” Pence replied, “Let me say that what happened to George Floyd was a tragedy. 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.” He praised President Donald Trump’s response to the alleged murder of Floyd and said the White House would continue to support law enforcement. Asked again to say the words “Black lives matter,” Pence refused a second time.
