At a rally Saturday, former President Trump applauded Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) for the impromptu exchange she had with President Biden during his State of the Union address over Laken Riley, a college student who was killed last month by an illegal migrant.
The rally was held in Rome, Ga., Greene’s district. Trump invited Riley’s parents and friends to the event, a two-hour drive from Athens, Ga., where Riley was killed near the University of Georgia on Feb. 22.
The suspect in Riley’s death is Jose Ibarra, a Venezuelan citizen who authorities say crossed into the U.S. unlawfully in 2022. Trump used the opportunity to criticize Biden on immigration but also commended Greene for her “courage” to speak up during Biden’s address Thursday.
“And Marjorie, I have to say, you were very brave and tried to bring up a point,” Trump said, addressing Greene at the rally. “Very brave, takes courage. It’s not easy to do, stand up and do that.”
During his speech, Biden spoke about a bipartisan border security bill that was tanked in part by Trump’s opposition. Greene, a strong supporter of Trump, yelled out “Laken Riley.”
Biden then addressed the interruption. He pulled out a pin with Riley’s name on it and said his heart goes out to her parents, having lost children himself.
Biden accidentally addressed her as “Lincoln Riley,” which Trump criticized in his rally Saturday. Biden said she was an “innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.” He then questioned how many people are killed “by legals.”
In an interview Saturday, Biden said he regrets calling Ibarra an “illegal,” and said he should have said “undocumented.”
Trump criticized Biden for it, saying he has “no remorse” for the border issues.
“He was an illegal immigrant. He was an illegal alien. He was an illegal migrant, and he shouldn’t have been in our country, and he never would have been under the Trump policy,” he said.
Trump, as have many other members of the GOP, argued that Biden’s handling of the border is what led to Riley’s death.
“Laken Riley would be alive today if Joe Biden did not willfully and maliciously eviscerate the borders of the United States, set loose thousands and thousands of dangerous criminals into our country,” Trump said.
Both Biden and Trump were holding rallies in Georgia on Saturday, as the two are set to face off in a rematch in the 2024 presidential election.