'Absolute Disgrace': President Joe Biden Faces Backlash for Botching Name of Murdered Nursing Student Laken Riley During SOTU Address
President Joe Biden faced backlash for his State of the Union address this week after he botched the name of a nursing student who was murdered by a suspected illegal immigrant.
President Joe Biden faced backlash for his State of the Union address this week after he botched the name of a nursing student who was murdered by a suspected illegal immigrant in Georgia last month, RadarOnline.com can report.
President Biden, 81, came under fire during his address on Thursday night shortly after he was heckled by GOP House Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene and challenged to “say the name” of Laken Riley.
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, was murdered last month in Athens by who the authorities suspect was an illegal immigrant named Jose Ibarra. Her dead body was found on the University of Georgia’s campus on February 22.
But while President Biden took on Congresswoman Greene’s challenge and attempted to say Riley’s name, he immediately fumbled the situation and referred to the murdered nursing student as “Lincoln” Riley.
“I know how to say her name,” Biden fired back while holding up a pin with Laken Riley’s name that was being worn by several GOP lawmakers on Thursday night. “Lincoln. Lincoln Riley, an innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.”
“To her parents, I say my heart goes out to you,” the president added without correcting himself. “Having lost children myself, I understand.”
Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student from Georgia, was murdered last month in Athens by who the authorities suspect was an illegal immigrant named Jose Ibarra.
House Rep. Greene rushed to social media after Biden finished his State of the Union address to trash the president’s border and immigration policies. She also called Biden’s “Lincoln” Riley blunder an “absolute disgrace.”
“Joe Biden’s policies killed Laken Riley. He finally tried to say her name, but couldn’t even say it correctly,” the Georgia congresswoman wrote. “It’s an absolute disgrace.”
Greene trashed President Biden once again on Friday morning.
“Other than the most divisive and angry campaign style SOTU speech from any president in history, there were two significant moments last night that every American is talking about today,” she continued.
“Joe Biden’s policies killed Laken Riley. He finally tried to say her name, but couldn’t even say it correctly."
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“President Biden finally recognized Laken Riley was murdered by an illegal that HE let in our country,” Greene wrote, “but couldn’t even say her name correctly.”
The 81-year-old president faced additional backlash from others who tuned in on Thursday night to watch his State of the Union address and subsequent Laken-Lincoln Riley mistake.
“This just happened. The man’s brain is mush,” one person tweeted alongside a clip of Biden’s name botching blunder. “Incredibly disrespectful.”
Steve Nikoui was arrested for heckling Biden during the State of the Union address.
“This old man couldn’t even get the name right of the girl he had a hand in getting murdered,” another X user wrote. “Truly pitiful.”
“Good grief,” responded yet one more person. “He still doesn’t know her name.”
Biden’s mistake on Thursday night was particularly damning because House Republicans passed the Laken Riley Act just hours earlier.
The Laken Riley Act would allow federal authorities to detain unauthorized immigrants accused of theft or burglary, and it was clearly named after the young nursing student murdered in Athens, Georgia last month by a suspected illegal immigrant.
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