U.S. Presidential hopeful Joe Biden on Tuesday vowed not to "fan the flames of hate" if elected to the position and instead seek "to heal the racial wounds that have long plagued" the country.

The 77-year-old made the remarks in a Tuesday address in Philadelphia, which is one of many cities in the U.S. rocked by protests against the death of an unarmed black man as police arrested him.

"Nobody will get it right every time, and I won't either. But I promise you this, I won't traffic in fear and division. I won’t fan the flames of hate," Biden said.

George Floyd died on Monday last week after a white police officer knelt on his neck for several minutes as he and his colleagues arrested him.

An onlooker's cell phone recorded the incident showing the 46-year-old black man moaning, "Please, I can't breathe" and "Don't kill me" as the police officer pressed his knee onto Floyd's neck. However, the video didn't show how the confrontation started.

After several minutes of the police office pressing his knee on Floyd’s neck, the victim went silent and was later pronounced dead.

The video quickly went viral on social media, sparking widespread protest from Tuesday afternoon, some of which have deteriorated into chaos.

Biden said President Donald Trump administration’s response to the protests showed a lack a leadership in the U.S.

“A country is crying out for leadership. Leadership that can unite us, leadership that brings us together, leadership that can recognize the pain and deep grief of communities that have had a knee on their neck for a long time," he said.

Biden's speech on Tuesday marked the first time he has left his home state of Delaware since mid-March, when the outbreak of COVID-19 forced him to campaign largely from his house.