The White House insisted that President Biden “made no apology” for using the term “illegal” to describe Laken Riley’s alleged killer, as the backlash from a tense exchange in his State of the Union address last week continues.
As the White House put it, Biden used “a different word” when he tried to clarify the comment in an interview on MSNBC.
“I shouldn’t have used illegally, it’s undocumented,” Biden said during a recorded interview with the network in Atlanta Saturday.
That came on a day when Trump criticized Biden for what his predecessor called an “apology” after Trump met with family and friends of the slain 22-year-old nursing student whose alleged killer is a migrant from Venezuela – further fueling the row was enlarged. .
On Monday, en route to an event in New Hampshire, White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton was told Biden “apologized” and was asked why he felt he had to do so.
No apology: White House said President Biden ‘made no apology’ when he said he ‘shouldn’t have used’ the word ‘illegal’ to describe migrant who is Laken Riley’s alleged killer
“First of all, I want to be very clear about something: the president has absolutely not apologized. There was no apology anywhere in that conversation. He didn’t apologize. He used a different word,” she said.
Dalton said Biden “spoke passionately about knowing what it means to lose a child and expressed his deep sorrow and condolences to Lake and Riley’s family in front of the entire country, in the House chamber.” And moreover, I find it unconscionable that there are people who are playing politics with the tragic murder of this young woman.’
She was referring to comments in which Biden said his heart went out to Riley’s parents, after Marjorie Taylor Green wore a shirt that said “Say her name” and gave him a pin urging him to do so.
Biden botched Riley’s name in his fiery response, incorrectly calling her “Lincoln.” Then on the left he used the term verboten 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.
On Friday, President Biden was asked if he regretted calling Laken Riley’s accused killer an “illegal” and changed his language. “Well, technically, I probably — which I don’t regret — probably shouldn’t have been here,” Biden said.
“Biden should apologize for apologizing to this murderer,” former President Donald Trump said at a rally in Georgia where he appeared with Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R).
Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, was killed while jogging on February 22
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
Venezuelan immigrant Jose Antonio Ibarra has been charged with Riley’s murder. Biden was criticized for calling him “illegal.”
“But how many of the thousands of people are murdered by legal authorities? To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you, having lost children myself, I understand,” Biden said.
That comment drew rebukes from several progressive Democrats who said it was dehumanizing to call someone an “illegal.”
Biden’s first attempt to bring it back came Friday, when he told reporters, “Well, technically, I probably — I don’t regret it — shouldn’t have been here.”
Trump raised the issue on Saturday during his rally in Georgia.
“Joe Biden went on television and apologized for calling Laken’s killer illegal,” he said, as MAGA supporters cheered and booed. “Biden should apologize for apologizing to this killer.”
“Joe Biden has no remorse, he has no remorse, he has no empathy, no compassion, and worst of all, he has no intention of stopping the deadly invasion that has stolen the beautiful American life of precious Laken,” Trump said .