President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at Philadelphia International Airport, Friday, March 8, 2024. an “illegal” during his State of the Union speech. Other Democrats backed him as better on immigration issues than former President Donald Trump, his likely rival in November's election.
“It was an unfortunate choice of words, but I think he could easily correct it,” said Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., who chairs the Congressional Progressive Caucus. “I think that the inclusive vision that he painted of immigration was exactly what I was looking for.” “The rhetoric President Biden used tonight was dangerously close to language from Donald Trump that puts a target on the backs of Latinos everywhere,” U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.
On a call with reporters on Friday, Biden campaign officials were asked whether his use of the word could impact his efforts to reach Latino voters. Campaign spokesman Michael Tyler argued that Trump and top Republicans are “using immigrants as their primary political punching bag.”