Romney marches with George Floyd protesters in DC

Sen. Mitt Romney (R-Utah) joined protesters marching in Washington, D.C., in response to the death of George Floyd on Sunday as demonstrations continue to sweep the country amid calls for police reform.

Videos and photos of the event showed Romney walking in the street while wearing a mask to prevent the spread of the coronavirus, which health officials have warned could spike as a result of the massive demonstrations around the country. In an interview with NBC, Romney explained that “many voices” needed to join together and stand against racism in the U.S.

“We need a voice against racism. We need many voices against racism and against brutality. And we need to stand up and say black lives matter,” he told an NBC reporter.

A request for further comment from the senator’s office was not immediately returned. The senator later announced his appearance on his own social media channels, tweeting, “Black Lives Matter.”

Protests have rocked cities around the country, including Washington, D.C., for days in response the death of Floyd, an unarmed black man killed in Minneapolis police custody. Video of the incident showed a white officer with his knee on Floyd’s neck for several minutes despite Floyd being handcuffed on the ground.

President Trump in recent days has called for state leaders to utilize the National Guard and has faced bipartisan criticism for urging governors to “dominate” demonstrators and tweeting “when the looting starts, the shooting starts.”

Romney has made headlines in recent months for breaking with the president on a number of key issues. In January he was the lone Republican senator to vote for the president’s removal from office, and in February he told The Atlantic that he would likely write in his wife’s name on his 2020 presidential ballot, as he did in 2016.

Updated at 6:35 p.m.