President Joe Biden flubbed the name of Laken Riley, the young woman whose death has become a symbol of the border crisis after an illegal immigrant was charged with her murder.
Speaking to millions of Americans in his annual State of the Union address the president twice called her ‘Lincoln’ as he held up a pin bearing her name, which had been given to him by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene.
Biden got into several back-and-forths with Republican lawmakers during his remarks, in which he repeatedly attacked his GOP presidential rival Donald Trump.
But when he talked about a bill to increase border security, that was killed by Republicans after Trump came out against it, GOP lawmakers booed him.
Greene, who was wearing a shirt with Riley’s name, then shouted at Biden ‘say her name.’
‘Lincoln, Lincoln Riley,’ Biden said, holding up the pin. ‘An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.
‘But how many of thousands of people being killed by legals? To her parents I say my heart goes out to you, having lost children myself, I understand,’ he said.
The 22-year-old Georgia nursing student was killed while out jogging on February 22.
An Illegal Venezuelan immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, has been charged with her murder.
Hours before Biden’s speech the House passed the Laken Riley Act, which would mandate that migrants who enter the country without authorization and are accused of theft be taken into federal custody.
Greene gave the pin to Biden when he walked into the House chamber to give his remarks.
As he walked toward the podium someone shouted to him ‘look over here’. Biden did a visible double take. Standing there was Greene, wearing a shirt and button showing Riley, and a red MAGA hat.
‘Say her name,’ Greene said to Biden.
After Biden spoke about Riley in his speech he then turned to an attack on Trump, offering to work with him to pass a border security bill.
‘If my predecessor’s watching instead of paying politics and pressuring members of Congress to block the bill, join me in telling the Congress to pass it. We can do it together,’ he said.
He then added: ‘I will not demonize immigrants saying they are poisoning the blood of our country. I will not separate families. I will not.’
Republicans previously tanked a border bill – which would provide more funding for technology and agents – after Trump came out against it.
Hammering Biden on the border has been a successful political tactic for Trump.
Two weeks ago, the men made dueling trips to the Southern border to examine the situation there. Biden went to Brownsville, Texas, where illegal crossings are down. Trump went to Eagle Pass, where it’s a huge problem.
‘We can fight about fixing the border, or we can fix it. I’m ready to fix it,’ Biden said. ‘Send me the border bill. Now.’
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