During Thursday’s State of the Union Speech, President Joe Biden acknowledged an error in labeling the suspected killer of nursing student Laken Riley as “illegal.”
In a conversation with MSNBC‘s Jonathan Capehart over the weekend, Biden admitted his mistake, recognizing that he should have used the term “undocumented” instead.
BREAKING: Biden apologizes for calling Laken Riley's kiIIer an "illegal"
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 9, 2024
"I'm not gonna treat any of these people with disrespect. They built this country." pic.twitter.com/nNTOLzq5vP
Capehart pressed Biden about any regret regarding his use of the word, to which the president responded with a straightforward “Yes.”
The reversal likely stemmed from pushback within Biden’s own party. For instance, Congresswoman Delia Ramirez (D-IL) and Congressman Ilhan Omar (D-MN) both emphasized the idea that “no human being is illegal.”
Congressman Chuy Garcia (D-IL) expressed disappointment and warned against rhetoric reminiscent of Former President Donald Trump’s, which, he argued, endangers Latinos.
“Unreal,” shared Elon Musk on X in response to Biden’s backtrack on the word usage. Other users echoed similar sentiments on Saturday, criticizing the president for apologizing to a criminal.
Notably, Biden has been more vocal about correcting his “illegal” label than apologizing for mispronouncing the victim’s name, calling her “Lincoln Riley!” instead of “Laken” during his speech on Thursday.
In response to Biden’s remarks, Laken’s mother, Allyson Phillips, expressed dissatisfaction on social media, stating that Biden didn’t even know her child’s name.
“It’s pathetic!” Phillips exclaimed on social media. “If you’re going to say her name (even when forced to do so), at least say the right name!”
On Saturday, Trump met with the family of Laken Riley backstage at his Georgia rally.
đź’” Trump consoles Laken Riley's family and friends backstage at his rally pic.twitter.com/iN1HEv7Z3V
— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) March 10, 2024
Joel Abbott from Not The Bee commented on the polarizing optics, stating, “You can call it a PR stunt, but from observing how Trump interacted with his employees even before entering politics, to me, this is just his character.”
“…In contrast to someone who struggled to pronounce Laken’s name on national TV,” Abbott added, “and then apologized for referring to her murderer as ‘illegal’ instead of the terms prescribed by the Party.”
President Trump on Laken Riley’s Killer:
— Karoline Leavitt (@kleavittnh) March 9, 2024
“I say he is an illegal alien, he is an illegal immigrant, he is an illegal migrant, and he should have never been in our country, and he wouldn’t have been under the Trump policies.” pic.twitter.com/vQsoNmFNq6
