President Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden arrive at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, in Atlanta, Saturday, March 9, 2024. ATLANTA — President Joe Biden said Saturday that he regrets using the term “illegal” during his State of the Union address to describe the suspected killer of Georgia nursing student Laken Riley.from some in his party for the use of the term to describe people who arrived or are living in the U.S.
In an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart on Saturday, Biden said, “I shouldn’t have used illegal, it’s undocumented.” The term was once common but is far less so today, particularly among Democrats who more fully embraced immigrant rights’ issues during Trump’s presidency.
Speaking to Capehart, Biden said, “Look, when I spoke about the difference between Trump and me, one of the things I talked about in the border was his, the way he talks about vermin, the way he talks about these people polluting the blood. I talked about what I’m not going to do. What I won’t do. I’m not going to treat any, any, any of these people with disrespect.”
It appeared to be a shift from a day earlier, when Biden had hesitated when asked by reporters if he regretted using the term, saying, “well I probably,” before pausing and saying “I don’t” and appearing to start saying the word “regret.”