Donald Trump blasts Joe Biden for ‘apologizing’ to Laken Riley's killer: ‘He is an illegal alien’

Former president Donald Trump has blasted Joe Biden for saying he regrets calling Laken Riley’s killer an “illegal"

Published on: Mar 10, 2024, 11:00:52 IST

By Sumanti Sen

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Former president Donald Trump has blasted Joe Biden for saying he regrets calling Laken Riley’s killer an “illegal.” During the State of Union speech, Biden also mistakenly referred to Laken Riley as Lincoln Riley.

Donald Trump has blasted Joe Biden for ‘apologizing’ to Laken Riley's killer (AP Photo) (AP)

Biden failed to apologise for his mistake, but instead said he regrets referring to Riley’s killer, Jose Antonio Ibarra, as an “illegal.”

Campaigning in Rome, Georgia, Trump slammed Biden, saying, “Joe Biden went on television and apologized for calling Laken murderer an illegal. Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer."

"I say he is an illegal alien, he is an illegal immigrant, he is an illegal migrant, and he should have never been in our country, and he wouldn’t have been under the Trump policies,” Trump said.

Joe Biden's gaffe

Butchering Riley’s name was one of Biden’s latest gaffes. After Rep. Marjorie Taylor-Greene (R-Ga.) shouted from the audience, “Say her name!”, Biden snapped back, saying “I know how to say her name.”

“Lincoln — Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal,” he added.

Biden later appeared in an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart and said he regrets using the word “illegal” to describe Ibarra. However, he failed to apologise for saying Riley’s name wrong. “I shouldn’t have used illegal, it’s undocumented,” he said.

Ibarra, an illegal immigrant, was charged with malice and felony murder, aggravated battery, kidnapping, concealing the death of another and other charges. Police said Riley’s murder was a “crime of opportunity.”

Riley’s mom also called out Biden for his gaffe. “Biden does not even KNOW my child’s name – it [sic] pathetic!” Allyson Phillips wrote on Facebook in response to a comment celebrating the Laken Riley Act.

“If you are going to say her name (even when forced to do so) at least say the right name!” she added. Phillips also wrote “Amen!” underneath a comment calling 81-year-old Biden “a disgrace of a president.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Sumanti Sen
Sumanti Sen covers everything that’s happening in the US, from politics to entertainment, but her expertise lies in covering crime news. She has comprehensively chronicled the Idaho student murders, the Laken Riley and Iryna Zarutska cases, and the killing of Charlie Kirk, among other incidents. Over the years, she has interviewed several victims/families of victims of crimes seeking justice. She digs up stories that might otherwise remain unheard, and does her bit to ensure that victims and survivors’ voices are heard. Sumanti’s many years of experience also include interviews with Hamas attack survivors and mental health experts, among others. Her coverage of the October 7 Hamas attack on Israel and interviews with survivors of the tragedy, coupled with her other works including the Titan submersible coverage, earned her the Digi Journo of the Quarter award during her first year at Hindustan Times. Sumanti actively tracks missing person cases in the United States, and peruses Reddit and other social media platforms to bring to light cases that frequently elude public attention. She has extensively covered the disappearances of Nancy Guthrie, Thomas Medlin, Beau Mann, and Sudiksha Konanki, among others. When not at work, you will either find her with her novels, or with her beloved rescue pooches.Read More

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