President Joe Biden recently denied to apologize when he was asked if he regrets using the term “illegal” to describe an undocumented immigrant during his State of the Union address on Thursday via Mediaite.
It has been noted that after being heckled by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA), the president referred to the killer of 22-year-old college student Laken Riley as an “illegal.” His comments drew criticism from Democratic allies and media pundits.
It is noted that when Biden stepped off Air Force One on Friday afternoon, a reporter asked him if regretted using the term to describe an undocumented migrant. The president stuttered for a few seconds before standing by his comments, adding that he’s “not supposed to be” in the country:
REPORTER: Do you regret using the word illegal to describe immigrants last night, sir?
BIDEN: Well, I probably, uh, I don’t regret…it, uh, technically he’s not supposed to be here.
It’s worth noting that Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and Speaker Mike Johnson, have used Riley’s death to criticize Biden over his handling of the recent influx of migrants to the southern border.
Following Biden’s speech, former Speaker Nancy Pelosi told CNN in an interview that she would have preferred if Biden used the term “undocumented” instead of illegal.
“Well, we usually say ‘undocumented.’ He said ‘illegal.’ I don’t think it’s a big deal. I don’t think it’s a big deal because I think his focus was on the sympathy for the family. It’s a terrible tragedy,” she said.
