White House now says Biden did NOT apologize for calling Laken Riley's suspected murdered an 'illegal', 24 hours after he said he 'regretted' using the term

The White House insisted President Biden 'did not apologize' for using the term 'illegal' to describe the alleged killer of Laken Riley, as the blowback from a tense exchange in his State of the Union speech last week continues.

As the White House put it, Biden 'used a different word' when he sought to clean up the comment in an interview on MSNBC. 

'I shouldn’t have used illegal, it’s undocumented,' Biden said during a taped interview with the network in Atlanta Saturday.

That came on a day when Trump ripped Biden for what his predecessor called an 'apology,' after Trump met with family and friends of the slain 22-year-old nursing student whose alleged killer is a migrant from Venezuela – elevating the spat still further.

En route to an event in New Hampshire Monday, White House deputy press secretary Olivia Dalton was told Biden 'apologized' and got asked why he felt he needed to do so. 

No apology: The White House said President Biden 'did not apologize' when he said he 'shouldn't have used' the word 'illegal' to describe a migrant who is Laken Riley's alleged killer

'First of all, I want to be really clear about something: The President absolutely did not apologize. There was no apology anywhere in that conversation. He did not apologize. He used a different word,' she said. 

Dalton said Biden spoke 'passionately about knowing what it means to lose a child and extended his deep grief and condolences to Lake and Riley's family in front of the entire country, in the House chamber. And beyond that, I think it's unconscionable that there are some people who are playing politics with this young woman's tragic murder.'

She was referencing comments where Biden said his heart went out to Riley's parents, after Marjorie Taylor Green wore a t shirt that said 'Say her name' and gave him a pin urging him to do so.

Biden botched Riley's name in his fiery ad-lived response, mistakenly calling her 'Lincoln.' Then he used a term verboten on the left when used as a noun referring to people who jump the border without legal documents. 

'Lincoln, Lincoln Riley,' said Biden while holding up a pin Greene had handed him calling on him to say her name. 'An innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal.

On Friday President Biden got asked if he regretted calling the accused killer of Laken Riley an 'illegal' and modified his language. 'Well, I probably –I don't regr– technically not supposed to be here,' Biden said.

'Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer,' said former President Donald Trump at a Georgia rally where he appeared with Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene (R) 

Laken Riley, a 22-year-old Georgia nursing student was killed while out jogging on February 22

President Joe Biden, holding up a pin of Laken Riley, referred to her as an 'innocent young woman who was killed by an illegal'. Progressive Democrats condemned his use of the term

Venezuelan immigrant, Jose Antonio Ibarra, has been charged with Riley's murder. Biden took heat for calling him '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,' Biden said. 

That comment drew rebukes from several progressive Democrats who said it was dehumanizing to call a person an 'illegal.' 

Biden's first effort to walk it back came Friday, when he told reporters, 'Well, I probably –I don't regr– technically not supposed to be here.'

Trump seized on the issue in his Georgia rally Saturday,  

'Joe Biden went on television and apologized for calling Laken’s murderer an illegal,' he said, as MAGA supporters cheered and booed. 'Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer.'

'Joe Biden has no remorse, he's got no regret, he's got no empathy, no compassion, and worst of all, he has no intention of stopping the deadly invasion that stole precious Laken's beautiful American life,' said Trump.