President Joe Biden defended his impromptu remark in his State of the Union address calling Laken Riley’s alleged killer an “illegal” after the remark sparked outrage among fellow Democrats.
The president was asked about his use of the word Friday as he prepared to board Air Force One for a campaign trip to Philadelphia, after his comment drew resistance from lawmakers who view the term as dehumanizing.
When asked if he regretted the comment – after subordinates walked back it – Biden stuttered and searched for the right answer to the charged topic.
“Well, technically, I probably — which I don’t regret — probably shouldn’t have been here,” Biden said.
President Biden was asked if he regretted calling Laken Riley’s accused killer an “illegal.”
That came after progressives jumped on his ad-libbed comment during his speech, even as conservatives slammed Biden and wrongly used the wrong name to describe the victim of the tragic murder..
The awkward clash between the parties came during one of the most intense moments of Biden’s fiery speech, when he sparred with fractious Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) after she demanded he say the name of the slain nursing student who was allegedly murdered. by a Venezuelan immigrant.
Biden messed up Riley’s name in his response, incorrectly calling her “Lincoln.” But he also used the term verboten on the left as a noun, referring to people crossing the border without legal documents.
“Lincoln, Lincoln Riley,” Biden said, holding up a pin Greene handed him, calling on him to say her name. ‘An innocent young woman murdered by an illegal alien.
“But how many of the thousands of people are murdered by legal authorities? To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you, because I have lost children myself, I understand that,” Biden responded.
“Technically it shouldn’t be here,” Biden responded
President Joe Biden, holding up a Laken Riley pin, called her an “innocent young woman murdered by an illegal alien.” Progressive Democrats condemned his use of the term
“No human being is illegal,” wrote Rep. Delia Ramirez (D-Ill.), one of several lawmakers who subsequently rejected Biden’s choice of words on Twitter.
“Let me be clear: no human being is illegal,” wrote “squad” member Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., who immigrated from Somalia.
“I am extremely disappointed to hear President Biden use the word ‘illegal,'” Rep. Chuy Garcia (D-Ill.) wrote, calling himself a “proud immigrant.”
“There was a lot of good in President Biden’s speech tonight, but his rhetoric about immigrants was inflammatory and wrong,” Rep. Joaquin Catro (D-Texas) wrote in a trio of tweets. “My guest for this year’s State of the Union was the widow of a North Texas rancher who was murdered by a neighbor who didn’t want Latinos living next door. Across Texas, many families can tell similar stories of hate and intimidation inspired by Donald Trump’s rhetoric.
“The rhetoric President Biden used tonight came dangerously close to the language of Donald Trump putting a target on the backs of Latinos around the world. Democrats should not take our cues from MAGA extremism.”
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, was killed while jogging on February 22
Venezuelan immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra has been charged with Riley’s murder. Biden was criticized for calling him “illegal.”
During an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, Nancy Pelosi said: ‘Now he should have said undocumented’
‘Squad’ member Rep. Rep. Ilhan Omar is among those who condemned the comment. She also protested Biden during the speech on Israel’s war in Gaza
Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN) (L) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA) hold up signs as President Joe Biden delivers the State of the Union address
“The rhetoric President Biden used tonight came dangerously close to Donald Trump’s language as he puts a target on the backs of Latinos everywhere,” said Rep. Joaquin Castro (D-Texas)
The moment came in a speech in which Biden criticized Republicans for blowing up a Senate compromise deal that would push resources to the border while sending billions to help Ukraine.
Speaker of the House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi was willing to give Biden the language when she was asked about it on CNN not long after the speech.
“Now he should have said he didn’t have papers, but that’s okay, okay? What’s most important?’ she told interviewer Dana Bash, after she tried to ask a question about the moment but didn’t even mention the verbiage. She said Biden should have said “undocumented.”
“Well, we usually say ‘undocumented.’ He said ‘illegal’. I don’t think it’s a big deal,” Pelosi continued. “I don’t think it’s a big deal because I think his focus was on sympathizing with the family. It’s a terrible tragedy.’
Elected Democrats are more likely to use the term “undocumented” instead of calling migrants “illegals.”
Biden campaign chairman Mitch Landrieu was still cleaning up the comment during an appearance on CNN on Friday morning when asked about Castro’s sharp criticism.
‘That’s probably true. He probably should have used a different word, I think he knew that,” he told CNN. ‘But what you should notice is not that he made a small mistake. The most important thing he did right, and this is what this president always does, is express empathy with people.
The tension from his own caucus comes as Americans view illegal immigration as a top problem, and Biden has adopted some of his rhetoric while backing a derailed border compromise that would have limited the number of daily asylum seekers and brought more resources to the border have funneled.
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries held the line for Biden, who did not criticize his wording.
Biden “recognized the gruesome nature of the killing and obviously emphasizes the need to keep our community safe overall,” he said when asked if he was concerned. Punching bowl relocated.