Trump tears into Joe Biden for apologizing after he called Laken Riley's alleged killer an ‘illegal’

ROME, GEORGIA: In a fiery rally outside Atlanta, former President Donald Trump lambasted President Biden for bungling the name of slain Georgia nursing student Laken Riley during the State of the Union address.

Trump, who had just met with Riley’s family, accused Biden of botching her name and later apologizing for describing her alleged migrant killer as "illegal."

Donald Trump's tribute to Laken Riley

Addressing rallygoers in Rome on Saturday, March 9, Trump emotionally recounted his meeting with Riley’s family backstage.

"I met her beautiful mother and family backstage," Trump said. "They said she was like the best. She was always the best to us. They admit that she was the best, and she was the first in her class. She was going to be the best nurse. She was the best nursing student. She was always the best. She was the brightest light in every room, they told me."

"She was the whole world to her parents and to her sister and just to the whole family," he added.

Trump's campaign distributed posters featuring Riley’s face with slogans demanding remembrance. During his speech, Trump expressed solidarity with Riley's friends and family, declaring that she is "home with God in Heaven."

A viral image captured the former president embracing Riley's grieving parents, with Riley's stepfather proudly wearing a "Make America Great Again" hat.

Trump criticized Biden for mispronouncing Riley’s name as "Lincoln" and using the term "illegal" to describe her suspected killer during the State of the Union address. “He got Laken’s name wrong. Lincoln. Mixing her up with the football coach,” Trump said.

Joe Biden's apology

Biden later apologized for using the term "illegal" but did not apologize for misstating Riley's name.

"I shouldn’t have used illegal, it’s undocumented," he told MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart.

"When I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the things I talked about on the border was his – the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood," Biden said. "I talked about what I'm not going to do, what I won't do. I'm not going to treat any, any, any of these people with disrespect. Look, they built the country. The reason our economy is growing, we have to control the border and more orderly flow. But I don't share his view at all."

Biden said he regretted his choice of words. 

Trump seized upon Biden's apology at his rally. “[Biden] didn’t want to call him illegal,” he said to the crowd. “He said he should have called him an undocumented and not an illegal and wanted to apologize.”

“I say he was an illegal, he was an illegal alien, he was an illegal migrant and he shouldn’t have been in our country and he never would have been under the Trump policy,” the 45th president added.

Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student at the University of Georgia, was tragically killed while jogging on campus. The suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan citizen who entered the US illegally in 2022, faces multiple charges including murder and kidnapping, per the New York Post.

Riley's mother, Allyson Philips, expressed disappointment over Biden's fumble of her daughter's name, labeling it as "pathetic." She posted online, “If you are going to say her name (even when forced to do so) at least say the right name!” 

Social media backlash

Biden, who held his rally in Atlanta, was excoriated on social media for his handling of the situation. Many online accused Biden of prioritizing political correctness over honoring Riley's memory, with some labeling him a "traitor" for his remarks.

"Biden felt bad for hurting the feelings of the Squad," one posted on X.

"Biden is a traitor who sides with an illegal murderer over American victims," another alleged.

"He's truly worthless," someone else added.

"Would always choose Trump over Biden," another offered.

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