Americans remember George Floyd on fifth anniversary of death
The murder of Floyd, a black man, in Minneapolis by police officer Derek Chauvin led to nationwide protests against racism and police brutality.
On Sunday, Floyd's family gathered in their hometown of Houston near Floyd's gravesite for an event led by the Rev. Al Sharpton, while Minneapolis held several commemorations.
What many hailed as a national "reckoning" with racism after Floyd's death, though, seems to be fading as President Donald Trump starts to roll back police reforms in Minneapolis and other cities.
In Minneapolis, community members planned a morning church service, a candlelight vigil and an evening gospel concert on Sunday to remember Floyd.
The events were a part of the annual Rise and Remember Festival taking place in George Floyd Square, the intersection where Floyd was murdered and which has since been named to honour him.
"Now is the time for the people to rise up and continue the good work we started," Angela Harrelson, Floyd's aunt and co-chair of the Rise and Remember nonprofit, said in a statement about the festival.
In Houston, where Floyd grew up and where he is buried, local organisations planned poetry sessions, musical performances and speeches by local pastors.
Floyd was murdered in 2020 during a police arrest in Minneapolis when Chauvin, a white police officer, stood on his neck for more than nine minutes.
The killing - captured on a bystander's phone camera - sparked global outrage and a wave of demonstrations against racial injustice and police use of force.
Chauvin has been serving a 22-year prison sentence after he was convicted of murdering the 46-year-old. Other officers were convicted for failing to intervene in the killing.
In a post on X, Rev Sharpton said Floyd's death had "forced a long overdue reckoning with systemic racism and galvanized millions to take to the streets in protest".
"The conviction of the officer responsible was a rare step toward justice, but our work is far from over," he said.
In the wake of Floyd's death, under former President Joe Biden, the justice department opened civil investigations into several local law enforcement agencies, including Minneapolis, Louisville, Phoenix and Lexington, Mississippi, where investigators found evidence of systemic police misconduct.
The department reached agreements with both the Louisville and Minneapolis police departments that included oversight measures like enhanced training, accountability, and improved data collection of police activity.
But last Wednesday, the Trump administration said those findings relied on "flawed methodologies and incomplete data".
Administration officials said the agreement were "handcuffing" local police departments.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, though, said this week that his city would still "comply with every sentence, of every paragraph, of the 169-page consent decree that we signed this year".
Since returning to office, Trump has also taken aim at Diversity Equity & Inclusion (DEI) measures intended to reduce racism, sexism and other forms of discrimination. Early in his tenure, Trump signed an executive order to eliminate DEI policies in the federal government, some of which were the result of protests during what is often called "Black Lives Matter Summer", held after the deaths of Floyd and others,
Critics including Trump say such programmes can themselves be discriminatory. Addressing West Point on Saturday, he said that in ending DEI in the military the administration was "getting rid of the distractions" and "focusing our military on its core mission".
Meanwhile, the mayor of Washington, Muriel Bowser, removed Black Lives Matter Plaza, a strip of road that was emblazoned with the phrase near the White House. This week, a famous mural of Floyd in Houston was destroyed as part of a building demolition, as well, according to Houston Public Media.
Recent surveys suggest Americans believe there have been few improvements for the lives of black people in the US five years after Floyd's passing, including a May survey from Pew Research Center in which 72% of participants said there had been no meaningful changes.
The number of Americans expressing support for the Black Lives Matter movement has also fallen by 15% since June 2020, the same survey suggests.
Trump administration to scrap police reform measures in some US cities
Chauvin sentenced for violating George Floyd's rights
Minneapolis police 'engaged in pattern of racism'
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USA Today
28 minutes ago
- USA Today
Trump is wildly unpopular and losing ground fast. Why is anyone afraid of him?
Trump's approval rating in the YouGov polling has tumbled from +3% at the beginning of February to -15% now. He's underwater on every issue Americans care about. While the top issues for most Americans are high prices, inflation and health care, our increasingly unpopular president is laser-focused on things nobody cares about. Like downplaying exhibitions on the history of slavery at the Smithsonian. On the same day a new poll by The Economist/YouGov showed Donald Trump's disapproval rating hitting a new high, the president took time to post this on social media: 'The Smithsonian is OUT OF CONTROL, where everything discussed is how horrible our Country is, how bad Slavery was, and how unaccomplished the downtrodden have been.' How bad slavery was? I'm not quite sure what that implies, but suffice it to say the new poll didn't find 'See less about how slavery was bad' to be a priority for American voters watching the costs of beef and vegetables skyrocket. Americans care about inflation, Trump cares about 'WOKE' museums Trump went on to say he has 'instructed my attorneys to go through the Museums' and start getting rid of 'WOKE,' whatever that means. The Aug. 19 poll and Trump's rambling post about ridding our museums of history create a perfect moment to pose this question: Why is anyone in American politics or in the corporate world afraid of this toxic president? Trump's approval rating in the Economist/YouGov polling has tumbled from +3% at the beginning of February to -15% now. He's underwater on every issue Americans care about, from immigration (53% disapprove) to jobs and the economy (53% disapprove) to inflation (61% disapprove) to foreign trade (56% disapprove). Nearly two-thirds of Americans – two-thirds! – say the country, under the leadership of President Donald Trump, is 'out of control.' Trump is so unpopular that there's no risk in standing up to him So when a public figure who is unpopular comes out and says he wants to scrub all the stuff about 'how bad Slavery was' from America's museums, I think other public figures would be on solid ground if they denounced him. Republicans won't do it, of course. They've spent decades ignoring the needs of their voters, focusing instead on tossing them red meat from the culture wars and assuming that bashing liberals is all that matters. But even in Democratic circles, most continue to go after Trump with kid gloves, with notable exceptions like Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, Rep. Jasmine Crockett, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and California Gov. Gavin Newsom. And corporate types are, by and large, either silent or outright supportive of a president liked by fewer and fewer Americans. From a marketing and political strategy standpoint, none of this makes sense. Trump's bullying nature and willingness to use the power of the federal government against his enemies are clearly cowing many, which is pathetic. You don't wait around for an unpopular bully to gather more power. Most Americans don't see US as a dark and dangerous place Think about Trump's anti-immigrant, anti-woke, fearmongering worldview. He has dispatched the National Guard to Washington, DC, to fight a crime wave that doesn't exist. He speaks routinely about big U.S. cities being crime-ridden, trotting out words like 'filth' and 'squalor,' and he demeans Americans who don't stand in lockstep with him. Now consider this question posed in the YouGov poll under 'World View': Which comes closest to your view? The answer 'Our lives are threatened by terrorists, criminals, and illegal immigrants and our priority should be to protect ourselves' was chosen by only 35% of respondents. The answer 'It's a big, beautiful world, mostly full of good people, and we must find a way to embrace each other and not allow ourselves to become isolated' was chosen by 50% of respondents. Corporate leaders only stand to benefit from taking on Trump People aren't buying what Trump is selling. They don't like what he's selling. And they don't like him. There is zero political risk to standing up against this president. There is only upside, and how more haven't realized it yet is beyond me. Powerful people in the business and political worlds, along with everyday Americans, don't have to sit silently and let Trump do what he wants, whether it's militarizing city streets, cruelly rounding up immigrants and forcing them into camps, or purging the evils from America's past to create a fake United States of Righteousness. Opposing him has the benefit of being the moral move and the popular move. The arrow pointing to the right side of history is brighter than the sun. Bending to the will of a wannabe tyrant has never benefited anybody. Standing up and shouting a wannabe tyrant down, on the other hand, is the kind of thing that gets remembered. Follow USA TODAY columnist Rex Huppke on Bluesky at @ and on Facebook at
Newsweek
30 minutes ago
- Newsweek
How the Right Is Winning Over Gen Z
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. His path to becoming chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council started in a Tuscaloosa, Alabama, living room at age 10. The year was 2016 and Brilyn Hollyhand's parents were watching the presidential debate. "It's just awfully good that someone with the temperament of Donald Trump is not in charge of the law in our country," Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton said. To which Trump responded, "because you'd be in jail." Hollyhand said his household wasn't all that political before. Trump's comment changed everything. "I stood there, and I was like, 'Wow, where'd this come from?'" he told Newsweek. Trump's comment drew negative headlines, but Hollyhand found it positively gripping. Not long after that, he created a political newsletter that went to seven family members; he now places its audience at over 400,000. Hollyhand's activity caught the attention of former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel, who appointed him, age 16, as chair of the newly created youth council. The next election, 47 percent of voters aged 18 to 29 backed Trump's third presidential bid—an 11-point swing from 2020, per the Associated Press. A group of young people rallying on the street. A group of young people rallying on the street. Giuseppe Lombardo/Getty Political orthodoxy has long deemed Americans start by voting for the left before moving to the right with age. Yet in 2024 Trump came within four points of winning the youth vote and Democrat Kamala Harris within four points of winning the over-65s'. Newsweek spoke to young people at Georgia Institute of Technology, The Ohio State University and Tuscaloosa and found distrust in institutions shaping Gen Z's opinions, with Republicans seizing on the moment. 'The Ultimate Influencer' Reflecting on the effect of Trump's quip on him, Hollyhand noted his plain-spoken tone and willingness to fight. "It was time for this populist revival," he said. "I think we were past due for someone like him." After George W. Bush's presidency, the GOP became what Hollyhand likened to "an old Southern church congregation." The neoconservative policies exemplified by presidential candidates John McCain and Mitt Romney hadn't swayed new members, and Republicans had done little to invest in their "youth group." With Trump, that started to change. "Donald Trump is what I call the ultimate influencer," Hollyhand said. "The concept of modern influencing is using a platform to get power, and Trump got so much power from Twitter, he went from a TV star to a president." Brilyn Hollyhand, chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, pictured with President Donald Trump. Brilyn Hollyhand, chair of the Republican National Committee's Youth Advisory Council, pictured with President Donald Trump. COURTESY OF HOLLYHAND Some saw a leader willing to talk tough and speak to issues that mattered to them, who injected showmanship into U.S. politics, tapping into a growing distrust in American institutions. While this rallied a new voter post-2016, GOP institutionalists pushed back. Democrats and traditional Republicans, like McCain, curbed Trump's first-term ambitions, and cultural institutions, from Hollywood to universities, made clear his behavior violated their values. For America's youth, it was chic to reject Trumpism. That changed with COVID-19. Hollyhand's age cohort faced a Democratic Party intent on curbing the pandemic with mask mandates, school closures and social distancing. It became cool to rebel against the establishment and embrace the alternative—MAGA and Trump. Beyond backing pandemic restrictions as "Defenders of Science," then President Joe Biden and his party also adopted the brand of "Defenders of Democracy" in response to the January 6 Capitol riot. They limited media interactions and passed a flurry of bipartisan laws that made Biden the most legislatively successful president since Lyndon B. Johnson. Come 2024, however, inflation remained high and economic effects of COVID-19 restrictions were still being felt. The defender of the system role was far less popular. The Spring 2025 Harvard Public Opinion Project Youth Poll found just 19 percent of young Americans trusted federal government to do what's right. The previous year's poll found only 10 percent trusted the media, 32 percent trusted the United Nations and 9 percent trusted Wall Street. Trump rallied against all but the latter. Traditionally, rallying against Wall Street has been a Democratic practice, yet in 2024 young Democrats felt leadership under-delivered on fighting economic inequality. André Treiber, a 33-year-old Texan, is chair of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council. He entered politics in 2008. A millennial who came of age during the Iraq War and Great Recession, he said it is understandable that those his age and younger distrust institutions. He felt 2016 Democratic presidential nominee candidate Senator Bernie Sanders spoke to these frustrations, and served as a delegate for the Vermont independent that year and in 2020. Treiber said part of the Democratic Party's struggles comes from its failure to capitalize on the energy around Sanders' brand of populism. Call for Change It is well-known that a segment of voters who might have supported Sanders backed Trump, including podcaster Joe Rogan. And in 2024, a unique segment drew attention for splitting their ticket to support Trump and progressive New York Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Most of them attributed their decision to AOC and Trump's statuses as "outsiders" among the Washington establishment. Treiber sees the concentration of Democratic leadership in Washington and the party's reliance on the town's consultants as a major issue. "Having that consulting class have such a strong influence on the party just means we are disproportionately not talking about or caring about the things that people are caring about," Treiber told Newsweek. He said he has carried out organizing work for campaigns in Texas and seen national consultants come in and present campaign strategies derived from national polling that presents as out of touch when directed to voters. Treiber wants change. Andre Treiber, chair of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council. Andre Treiber, chair of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council. COURTESY OF TREIBER The election of Ken Martin as DNC chair was supposed to bring that about, as the former Minnesota state party chair pledged to decentralize power. However, his tenure has been off to a rocky start amid reports of party infighting—much of this around displeasure with the party's approach to Trump and unifying its message. Ohio State students Tryphena Sarpong and Sara Temesgen—both 19, Black and raised in Ohio—voted for Harris, but felt her campaign focused too heavily on opposing Trump and amplifying divisive issues like gun control and abortion. Sarpong, who studies finance, felt Harris' views were rigid and didn't acknowledge valid concerns of conservatives. Temesgen, on a pre-med track, said the Democrats' characterization of Trump supporters did not match her experiences with them. The dozen students Newsweek interviewed across the two schools, of different races and genders, struck similar tones. While some offered more partisan positions, most expressed discontent with both sides, generally making their decision in opposition to the most partisan elements of the less desirable party. This is particularly problematic for Democrats when core sections of their base, youth voters and people of color, lack enthusiasm for the party. Temesgen felt voters are more aware of political nuances on social media, so a candidate must offer more there than simply not being their opposition. "TikTok is the platform that most young people are on, and if you're not open-minded, I feel like you're ignorant," she said. Treiber thinks his party should let candidates tailor their platforms to the regional interests of their communities but stand firm on core values by drawing red lines on topics like abortion, LGBTQ+ rights and immigration. Without a Democratic primary after 2020, there was no route for them to reaffirm their platform, and Harris struggled to communicate where she differed from Biden or intended to continue his policies. A 2028 Democratic primary will likely help address this, but there's more to do to sway the young voters they lost and match Republicans in mastering distrust politics. Building Trust Young politicos understand that America cannot continue on its current course. National debt totals $36 trillion, the top 10 percent hold 69 percent of U.S. wealth, and goals like owning a home and attending college remain out of reach for many. Inherent to these issues are the actions of previous generations of politicians and business leaders. Yet, America remains the world's leading power, which means its institutions remain serviceable. While the effects of Trump's second presidency remain to be seen, his administration has already met its promise of disrupting the status quo of the federal government. It also passed tax reforms that some economists warn will increase corporate profits while worsening economic inequality. Much of the Democratic Party remains committed to defending a federal government that only 22 percent of all Americans trust to do what's right. Both parties face conversations on whether achieving prosperity involves reforming or tearing down the system. Treiber said the Democrats are having that conversation, while Hollyhand believes his party has a clear path forward in Trump's America First agenda. Either way, the process will most certainly require building Gen Z's trust. Editor's Note: This story was written under advisement of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism, where the author conducted this reporting in completion of his Master of Arts thesis.
USA Today
an hour ago
- USA Today
Most Americans don't trust Trump. Even his own AI chatbot calls him a liar.
A new Pew Research Center survey shows 63% of Americans call the president dishonest. Even Trump's own chatbot calls him out as a liar. How awkward for him. How candid and correct for the rest of us. A pair of new national polls gave Donald Trump the kind of data no president wants to see. Just 31% of Americans find Trump trustworthy, a new low for him and down from 38% at the start of his second term in January, according to an Aug. 12 Economist/YouGov survey. And a Pew Research Center survey released Aug. 14 showed that just 38% of Americans approve of Trump's performance as president, with significant majorities disapproving of his signature "One Big Beautiful Bill," his approach to tariffs and changes he has made to the federal government. Americans dislike just about everything Trump brags about. And the more he touts what he sees as major accomplishments, the less America likes them – and him. Anyone who has spent any time watching Trump – I've been writing about him since he was a bankrupt casino operator 20 years ago – knows that he embraces any polling that shows him doing well and derides surveys that show his weaknesses. That's his way. Trump exists in a bubble where he is always outstanding and his critics are always wrong. And that's not just in his head. Trump has his own social media platform, Truth Social, where loyal supporters embrace every claim he makes, no matter how dodgy or easily disproven. Trump's own chatbot knows he's a liar So, before we dive into the reputable national polling, I thought it would be helpful to see what the new artificial intelligence chatbot Trump added to Truth Social on Aug. 6 had to say about whether he is trustworthy and whether his signature policies are popular. Truth Social AI, the chatbot, offered me answers that echoed opinions from the new national polling and responded this way when I asked if Trump has a history of lying: "Yes. Major fact-checkers, courts, and official investigations have documented numerous false claims by Donald Trump over many years." So Trump's own chatbot calls him out as a liar. How awkward for him. How candid and correct for the rest of us. On the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, Truth Social AI told me that "most national polling shows Americans disapprove" of it, though some people approve of "specific provisions" such as some tax breaks included in it. On tariffs, Truth Social AI said, "Most credible analyses find Trump's tariffs have been a net drag on the U.S. economy ‒ raising consumer and business costs, reducing overall employment and output ‒ though they can modestly lift employment in some protected manufacturing industries." Asked about how Trump is changing the federal government, Truth Social told me "approval is mixed and modest," citing Associated Press-NORC polls showing "roughly 4 in 10 Americans approve." That was interesting framing, since a clear majority in those polls don't like how Trump is operating. Trump's approval numbers aren't anything to celebrate That disapproval is reflected on websites that keep averages of recent polling about Trump. RealClearPolling listed him with a 51.5% disapproval rating on Aug. 14. CNN's Poll of Polls put Trump's disapproval rating at 56% that day. Decision Desk HQ logged Trump's disapproval rating at 52%. Trump, living in his bubble, posted on Truth Social on Aug. 13 that he is the "highest polling Republican President in HISTORY!" Truth Social AI disputed that, telling me that "by historical standards, Donald Trump's national job-approval is not the highest of any Republican president." So you can see why the Economist/YouGov poll ranked Americans' disapproval of Trump's performance at 54%. Along with finding a majority see him as dishonest, the poll also showed 48% of the respondents think the American economy is getting worse, while just 24% see it as getting better. The same number, 48%, said they expect higher inflation, while just 17% expect it to decrease. Trump-Putin summit: Trump, Putin rewrite history in Alaska as Republicans stay obediently silent | Opinion The Pew Research Center survey offers some insight into American pessimism about our economy, with 61% disapproving of Trump's tariff wars and 38% approving. On the One Big Beautiful Bill, 46% disapproved, while 32% approved and 23% were not sure. Fifty-three percent said Trump is making the federal government work worse, while just 27% said it works better now, and 20% said it works about the same as before. And here we find some rare bipartisanship – 55% of Republicans say it is worse now, not as high as 87% of Democrats, but still a clear GOP majority. This survey hits Trump harder on honesty. "Most Americans also distrust what the administration is saying about the Epstein issue," Pew reports, "63% say they have little or no trust in what the administration is saying." Opinion newsletter: Sign up for our newsletter on people, power and policies in the time of Trump from columnist Chris Brennan. Get it delivered to your inbox. As politicians love to say, polls are a snapshot in time. This is not a pretty picture for Trump. But he could turn things around. Or he could make things worse. The trend for the president, now seven months into his second term, leans away from a turnaround and toward a worsening. Trump still has plenty of supporters eager to accept his claims and to castigate his critics. I'd ask them this – why would Trump's social media platform, which he controls as the largest stockholder, offer answers that echo American concerns about his dishonesty and economic policies if they were not bang-on accurate? Don't take my word for it. Go ask Truth Social AI yourself, while it is still delivering accurate answers to important questions. Follow USA TODAY columnist Chris Brennan on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ByChrisBrennan. Sign up for his weekly newsletter, Translating Politics, here. You can read diverse opinions from our USA TODAY columnists and other writers on the Opinion front page, on X, formerly Twitter, @usatodayopinion and in our Opinion newsletter.
