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Carson says 'reserve judgment' on Trump's remarks in aftermath of George Floyd's death until President speaks again

(CNN) When Housing and Urban Development Secretary Dr. Ben Carson was pressed on Sunday about President Donald Trump's retweet of a post attacking the character of George Floyd, Carson said to "reserve judgment" until the President speaks on the topic this week.

"I believe you're going to be hearing from the President this week on this topic in some detail. And I would ask you maybe to reserve judgment until after that time," Carson told CNN's Jake Tapper on "State of the Union."

The White House has declined to comment to CNN about Carson's comments on the show.

Carson's remarks come amid criticism over Trump's response to nationwide protests in the wake of Floyd's death at the hands of police. Over the weekend, the President retweeted a post from former Fox News host Glenn Beck that quoted conservative commentator Candace Owens saying, "The fact that (Floyd) has been held up as a martyr sickens me."

"You talked about how you don't like to demonize people," Tapper said Sunday. "I know you didn't retweet this, but the President did. Does that help the nation heal?"

"What will help the national heal is if we engage in dialogue together," the Trump Cabinet member said. "Let's not make the solution be a Democrat solution or a Republican solution. Let's make it be an American solution and recognize that our country is extraordinary."

The President, who has also been criticized for invoking Floyd's name during an address touting the latest jobs report, last week called on the nation's governors to dominate protesters. And police tactics were used to clear peaceful protesters from Lafayette Square ahead of the President's walk to St. John's Episcopal Church for a photo-op on Monday.

Carson previously defended the clearing of protesters from the park, saying during an interview with WBUR, "Well, again, the majority of the people there were probably peaceful protesters. But as I'm sure you probably have heard by now, there were those who were throwing bottles of frozen water, pipes were hidden along a pathway and bricks to be utilized."

He also told Tapper he was "horrified" to see videos of Floyd's death, calling it a "blatant and callous murder." He said what will help the nation heal is to engage in a solution among Democrats and Republicans.

"A house divided against itself cannot stand," he said. "We the American people are not each other's enemies, we must be smart enough to recognize that and not allow ourselves to be manipulated into thinking that we hate each other and destroying ourselves."

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