ATLANTA (AP) — President Joe Biden On Saturday, he said he regretted using the word “illegal” during his State of the Union address to describe the suspected killer of Laken Riley, his almost certain 2024 Republican rival. donald trumpat a rally attended by the family and friends of a Georgia nursing student, denounced Democratic immigration policies and blamed them for her death.
Biden later expressed regret. face setbacks There was criticism from some within the party over the use of the term to describe people who entered or are still in the United States illegally.
“I shouldn't have used illegal language. It's not documented,” he said in an interview with MSNBC's Jonathan Capehart recorded in Atlanta. In Atlanta, the president met with small business owners and held a campaign rally.
At the same time, Trump, who was campaigning in Rome, Georgia, slammed Biden's comments.
“Joe Biden went on TV and apologized for calling Laken's killer a lawbreaker,” he said, to loud jeers and boos. “Biden should apologize for apologizing to this murderer.”
How did this exchange take place? riley murder has become a flashpoint in the 2024 campaign and a rallying cry for Republicans who have expressed frustration with the Biden administration's handling of the U.S.-Mexico border amid a record surge in immigration. An immigrant who entered the United States illegally from Venezuela has been arrested and charged with murder.
Mr. Riley's parents, sister and friends also attended Mr. Trump's rally and met with them before taking the stage. They were welcomed with a standing ovation and large signs distributed by the campaign bearing Riley's photo and the words “SAY HER NAME!” On the back was written, “Remember our angels.”
“We share your grief,” President Trump said in his speech.
In a long speech that lasted nearly two hours, President Trump harshly criticized Biden for confusing the border with Riley's name during last week's State of the Union address.
“What Joe Biden did at our border was a crime against humanity and the people of this country, and will never be tolerated,” Trump said. “If Joe Biden intentionally And if they hadn't maliciously disemboweled his body, he would still be alive today.” They are dumping thousands of dangerous criminals across the U.S. border into our country. ”
Trump, who has made immigration a centerpiece of his campaign, has repeatedly promised to carry out the largest deportation in the country's history if he wins.
He contrasted his rhetoric with that of Biden, long seen as an empathetic leader: “I say he was an illegal alien. He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal immigrant.” He accused Biden of showing “absolutely no remorse.” “He has no remorse, no compassion, no sympathy, and worst of all, he has no intention of stopping the deadly invasion that took the precious life of Mr. Laken's beautiful American,” Trump said. .
Mr. Biden earlier this year agreed to changes to U.S. immigration law that would restrict some immigrants, pushing back against activists within his own party. The proposed deal would overhaul the asylum system, provide faster and stricter enforcement, and give the president new powers to immediately expel migrants if authorities are overwhelmed. It will also add $20 billion in funding, resulting in a huge influx of cash.
The change was part of a short-lived bipartisan compromise, but it was quickly killed by Republican lawmakers after President Trump voiced opposition.
After the deal collapses, Biden is considering executive action to reduce immigration, but he has expressed frustration that his lawyers have yet to come up with an option that he thinks will pass federal court. are doing. Mr. Biden instead sought to flip the script on Republicans, arguing that Republicans are more interested in talking about this issue in an election year than taking action to solve it, and calling Congress to urged that this measure be taken up again.
Those attending the rally included Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, who represents Rome in Congress and shouted at Biden to “Say your name!” during Thursday's State of the Union address.
of The phrase became popular Civil rights activist Kimberly Crenshaw made the announcement following the death of Sandra Bland, a 28-year-old black woman who was found dead in a Texas prison cell days after she was arrested during a traffic stop in 2015. .
Crenshaw and others began using the phrase to draw attention to incidents of police brutality against black women. In 2020, the hashtag #SayHerName brought the shooting death of Breonna Taylor, a 26-year-old Black woman from Louisville, Kentucky, to the public's attention. Breonna Taylor was shot and killed in her home during a botched police raid.
The word “illegal” was once common, but it's less common now, especially among Democrats who more fully embraced immigrant rights issues during the Trump era.
Biden used the term Thursday night during an exchange in which the president used a speech to urge Republicans to pass a bipartisan border security agreement. Greene, an ardent Trump ally, shouted at the president: My name is Riley. and added that she was killed “by illegal immigrants.”
Mr. Biden quickly responded, “That's right, by illegal people,” and then appeared to ask how many people were being killed by “legal people.”
He added, “To her parents, my heart goes out to you. I have lost a child myself, so I understand.''
Biden spoke to Capehart and said, “Look, when I talked about my differences with Trump, one of the things I talked about at the border is the way he talks about pests, the way he talks about people who pollute the environment. It was,” he said. blood. We talked about what not to do. What I don't do. I don't mean to treat any of these people with disrespect. You see, they created the country. ”
Chris Lacivita, a senior adviser to the Trump campaign, accused Biden of apologizing for his words rather than Riley's family.
“Instead of apologizing for the words he used, which is an accurate expression, he should apologize to his family,” Trump told reporters before taking the stage, calling the response “tone-deaf.” “Both candidates are very strong,'' he said. There are clear differences in approaches to border incursions. ”
Biden's expression of regret marked a change from the day before, when he hesitated when asked by reporters if he regretted using that word, replying, “Well, probably.” After that, the word “regret” seemed to make him stop and say, “I don't regret it.”
___
Price reported from Rome, Georgia. Colvin reported from New York. Associated Press White House correspondent Zeke Miller in Wilmington, Delaware, contributed to this report.