Sarah and Rebecca covered some of these developments over the weekend, but I still can't quite believe the juxtaposition. After 22-year-old nursing student Laken Riley was murdered late last month on the University of Georgia's campus, allegedly by an illegal immigrant, the accused killer's rap sheet quickly came to light. In addition to entering the country illegally, he had also been arrested and cited for multiple additional crimes, in two different states. Thanks to 'sanctuary' policies, he was released. Then, according to police, he bludgeoned this innocent young woman to death with such force that it disfigured her skull. Reports of gang ties have also emerged. This man should never have had the opportunity to commit this crime, for multiple reasons. Ms. Riley was lethally failed by a series of immigration and "justice" policies, and the politicians who implemented them. On Saturday, prior to his rally in the state, former President Trump visited with and consoled the victim's grieving family. Then he paid tribute to her memory at his event while ripping into Biden's words and policies:
President Trump on Laken Riley's murderer:
— RNC Research (@RNCResearch) March 9, 2024
"He was an illegal alien. He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal migrant. And he shouldn't have been in our country — and he NEVER would have been under the Trump policy!" pic.twitter.com/K3HvSoOfob
By contrast, the current president had to be heckled into even mentioning Laken Riley's name at all. When he did, he botched it, twice calling her "Lincoln." In doing so, he referred to the accused killer as an "illegal." This immediately raised hackles within his own party, from critics who seemed far more offended by his use of that term than by what happened to Riley. After a flurry of scolding, a reporter asked Biden if he regretted the word choice. He declined to apologize, noting that 'technically' illegal immigrants aren't allowed to be in the country:
Biden totally MALFUNCTIONS when confronted by a reporter for using the word “illegal” to refer to Laken Riley’s murderer. pic.twitter.com/i7gYfWsutn
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) March 8, 2024
This is much more than a technicality, of course, but Biden had at least resisted left-wing pressure to backtrack. Until he did, as Trump mentioned in the clip above, to angry boos from the crowd. A full, pathetic, weak rhetorical retreat on MSNBC:
Recommended
Biden says he regrets using the term “illegal”when talking about the undocumented immigrant who allegedly killed nursing student Laken Riley.
— Alex Thompson (@AlexThomp) March 9, 2024
“I shouldn't have used 'illegal.' It's undocumented."
pic.twitter.com/6tpd9xPmvg
In the clip, Biden also promises to never treat illegal immigrants with "disrespect" (which apparently entails using the term 'illegal'), explaining that they "built the country," and only suggesting that we need a more "orderly flow" at the border. The man is incapable of standing up to his coalition's radicals, which is partly why his border policy is so disgracefully and historically catastrophic. I summarized the dramatic dichotomy between Trump and Biden on this horrible story on Fox over the weekend, adding a point about the inaccuracy of Democrats' preferred descriptor of illegal immigrants:
…and another thought on the “undocumented” euphemism: pic.twitter.com/SwmJYKFnG3
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 10, 2024
Biden apparently thinks it's good politics to apologize for calling an illegal immigrant, who's under arrest for a brutal murder, 'illegal.' Too 'disrespectful,' you see. Meanwhile, here are some numbers from the latest ABC News poll, which shows Trump leading Biden by double digits on three of the four top issues. The biggest gap? Immigration and the border:
New ABC poll on issue trust
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 10, 2024
Economy:
49% Trump
37% Biden
Inflation:
45% Trump
31% Biden
Crime:
41% Trump
35% Biden
Immigration/Border:
45% Trump
29% Biden
I'll leave you with a few words from Laken Riley's distraught mother:
Murdered student’s mother to POTUS: “If you are going to say her name (even when forced to do so) at least say the right name.” https://t.co/af78KtRh8k
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) March 8, 2024
UPDATE - Unrecognizable Joe Biden, in several ways. Just watch. Can you spot the "disrespect"?
Senator Joe Biden, 2006: "Punish American employers who knowingly violate the law when, in fact, they hire illegals...People are driving across that border with tons — hear me, tons — [of drugs]. It's all coming up through corrupt Mexico."
— A2100 (@America_2100) March 10, 2024
What a difference a few decades makes. https://t.co/ER75G8svKd pic.twitter.com/DWQS53puOO
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