Trump says it's a 'great day' for George Floyd in an unprepared address

US President Donald Trump invoked George Floyd's name during a Friday bill signing ceremony touting the latest jobs report.

The report, it is reported, exceeded economists' expectations.

"We all saw what happened last week. We can't let that happen. Hopefully George is looking down and saying this is a great thing that's happening for our country. (It's) a great day for him. It's a great day for everybody," Trump said during a White House Rose Garden event.

"This is a great, great day in terms of equality," Trump added.

The president said this even as he devoted a significant portion to praising the job law enforcement, and urging some states to activate the National Guard.

Floyd's death on May 25 has become the latest flashpoint for rage over police brutality against African Americans, propelling the issue of race to the top of the political agenda ahead of the US presidential election on November 3.

Protests over the death of Floyd have rocked cities including Atlanta, Denver, Detroit as well as many smaller communities.

The demonstrations have erupted as Americans and businesses struggle to recover from sweeping lockdowns imposed by state and local officials due to the coronavirus. Infectious disease experts have said that the protests could spark a new outbreak of COVID-19.

In his address, however, Trump maintained that "equal justice under the law must mean that every American receives equal treatment in every encounter with law enforcement regardless of race, color, gender or creed. But at no point did Trump explicitly bring up whether the source of that problem -- a lack of just treatment by law enforcement -- was systemic racism.

The president also did not answer questions about Asian American and African American unemployment, which was less robust than other minority groups.