During his State of the Union address, President Joe Biden addressed his mention of a murder suspect who may be “illegal.”
In an interview with MSNBC that aired on Saturday, Biden acknowledged that he ought to have used the word “undocumented” instead. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) interrupted the president on Thursday during his yearly speech, calling out the name of Georgia college student Laken Riley, who was reportedly slain by an undocumented immigrant. The president deviated from his script and said, “Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was slain by an illegal,” in response.
“It’s unlawful; I shouldn’t have used it,” said Biden. “And know, one of the things I said at the border when I was discussing the differences between [previous President Donald] Trump and myself was his, the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people poisoning the blood.”
Biden brought up a passage from one of Trump’s addresses on the campaign trail. The former president criticized Biden last month while he was in Durham, New Hampshire, for the more than 10 million immigrants who had allegedly entered the US illegally since he took office. Trump used the phrase “poisoning the blood of our country” repeatedly, which opponents claim is reminiscent of Nazi leader Adolf Hitler’s writings.
Biden said, “I discussed what I won’t do and what I’m not going to do. I promise not to show disrespect to any one of these folks. After all, they created the nation, the cause of the expansion of our economy. I completely disagree with his viewpoint, but we must maintain border control and more orderly traffic movement.”
During a rally on Saturday in Rome, Georgia, Trump criticized Biden for reversing his use of the term “illegal,” evoking jeers from the audience as he clarified the words made by his successor.
To applause, Trump remarked, “Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.”
In an interview with Vanessa Broussard of the Right Side Broadcasting Network, Greene praised Biden for stating the “truth.” For the event, Greene traveled to Rome, which is located in her area.
Greene said, “You know what happened there, Vanessa? He told the truth.” He didn’t follow the plan. He did not have the teleprompter open. Notecards were not in his grasp.
Greene said that the phrase infuriated Democratic legislators. Reps. Joaquin Castro (D-TX), Delia Ramirez (D-IL), Chuy Garcia (D-IL), and Ilhan Omar (D-MN) all released remarks denouncing the president’s use of the phrase.
Riley’s parents turned down a request from Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) to attend the State of the Union. She remembered that his guest’s seat was unoccupied.
