President Joe Biden has just put out a statement the much-publicized death of “non-binary” teenager Nex Benedict, who was originally alleged to have been beaten to death by bigots, but was revealed to have committed suicide.
In memory of Nex, we must all recommit to our work to end discrimination and address the suicide crisis impacting too many nonbinary and transgender children. pic.twitter.com/0D2tVyFx9E
— President Biden (@POTUS) March 14, 2024
But he not yet acknowledged the viral savage life-threatening beating by a black girl of white teenager Kaylee Gain on Friday (neither has the New York Times or Washington Post). Of course he cannot: Such events are continuous in the ongoing Death of White America at the hands of his political base. But the War Against Young White Girls, and the Democrats’ complicity in it, could well decide the election.
Biden’s March 7 viciously partisan State of the Union was hailed as the unveiling of a successful reelection strategy, but his flubbed attempt to address the murder of another young white girl, Laken Riley, apparently at the hands of a non-white who was also a Biden Rush–enabled illegal alien, overshadowed everything else. Immediately Biden’s base forced him into ignominious retreat, even to apologize for being stampeded into using the term “illegal” to describe the (illegal) suspect [Biden faces ‘beyond disappointed’ Democrats after calling suspected killer ‘an illegal,’ by Alex Woodward, Independent, March 9, 2024].
Needless to say, the GOP’s SOTU response, delivered by Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL) from a kitchen in a misguided attempt to reach swing voters, didn’t land any punches yet still annoyed the smart set [Katie Britt’s SOTU Response Slammed in Home State Opinion Column, by Khaleda Rahman, Newsweek, March 10, 2024]. Her consultants also made an unforced error by stupidly using a fairly dated human trafficking story, and the victim promptly refused to take her side, giving the Regime Media a juicy story [Sex trafficking victim says Sen. Katie Britt telling her story during SOTU rebuttal is ‘not fair,’ by Rafael Romo and Melissa Alonso, CNN, March 10, 2024].
But at least Britt did mention Laken Riley.
Under pressure, Biden also mentioned Riley, though he screwed up her first name. Majorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) gets a lot of heat from conservatives uncomfortable with her confrontational style. But baiting him into a response was a major win for her.
Subsequently, Biden further pandered that such people “built America”—not the middle class as he said in the SOTU [Biden torched for claiming ‘undocumented’ immigrants ‘built this country’ after saying same of middle class, by Danielle Wallace, Fox News, March 10, 2024].
Donald Trump immediately hit Biden: “Joe Biden went on television and apologized for calling Laken’s murderer an illegal,” he said. “Biden should be apologizing for apologizing to this killer” [Trump blasts Biden over Laken Riley’s death after Biden says he regrets using term ‘illegal,’ Associated Press, March 9, 2024].
Heroically, Laken Riley’s parents did not follow many victims of such tragedies and rhapsodize about the glories of diversity and fast food. They did not attend the State of the Union, despite Rep. Mike Collins (R-GA) inviting them [State of the Union 2024: Laken Riley’s parents will not attend despite invite from Mike Collins, by Rachel Schilke, Washington Examiner, March 6, 2024]. Subsequently, however, they did meet with President Trump backstage before a rally in Georgia, and he spoke about them during the event [Trump met with Laken Riley’s family backstage before Georgia rally: ‘Profoundly honored,’ by Brie Stimson, Fox News, March 10, 2024]. He gave them a hug. And the victim’s father wore a MAGA hat.
🚨Trump has met with Laken Riley’s parents pic.twitter.com/FDglOhUEAu
— Benny Johnson (@bennyjohnson) March 10, 2024
Their daughter has also become a rallying cry to the entire Trump movement.
THIS IS WHAT A LEADER LOOKS LIKE.
— Chad Prather (@WatchChad) March 10, 2024
Laken Riley's family joined Trump at a Georgia rally.
Signs of Laken Riley with “Say Her Name” were held up throughout the crowd.
We will NEVER forget Laken. pic.twitter.com/qBjjBdt9j7
Excepts from President Trump’s remarks in Georgia:
— Stephen Miller (@StephenM) March 10, 2024
“Biden has implemented a formal policy that illegal aliens who intrude into the United States are granted immunity from deportation—thus, when this monster showed up at our border, he was set free immediately under the program…
An empty chair was set for Laken Riley.
— Ryan Fournier (@RyanAFournier) March 9, 2024
This was set today by Team Trump in Georgia prior to him speaking.
🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻 pic.twitter.com/OYEtzmXE3s
All of this is reminiscent of the “Angel Moms” and the death of Kate Steinle, both of which were key factors in Donald Trump’s first campaign.
Of course it’s insane that we are still talking about victims of illegal alien crime, and that the illegal who caused Kate Steinle’s death was acquitted of murder [Undocumented immigrant acquitted in Kate Steinle death, by Holly Yan and Dan Simon, CNN, December 1, 2017].
Yet, unlike last time, most of the GOP now seems to be following Trump’s lead on immigration. Speaker Mike Johnson went after President Biden for “cowering to his base and showing deference to a man who deserves none,” an effective line of attack [Speaker Johnson slams Biden for ‘showing deference’ to Laken Riley’s murder suspect, by Asher Notheis, Washington Examiner, March 10, 2024]. And every House Republican voted for the “Laken Riley Act” (along with 37 Democrats). The bill would require detaining and deporting illegals charged with theft “and for other purposes” [GOP-Led House Passes ‘Laken Riley Act’, 170 Dems Vote Against It, by Joseph Ellis, State of the Union, March 10, 2024].
Democrats have been reduced to whining about the so-called “bipartisan border bill,” which would do nothing to stop the crisis that Joe Biden himself created [Democrats defend Biden after messing up Laken Riley’s name in State of the Union speech, by Mallory Wilson, Washington Examiner, March 8, 2024]. Biden has already conceded he can use Executive Action to end the crisis; he just doesn’t want to [Biden considering new executive action to restrict asylum at the border, sources say, by Priscilla Alverez and MJ Lee, CNN, February 21, 2024].
The general election polls are close. The GOP state parties are in utter chaos, there’s no turnout operation comparable to what Democrats enjoy with black churches and other institutions, and President Trump himself has been discouraging mail-in voting, which Republicans are going to need if they are serious about winning [Who should Republicans believe about safety of mail-in voting? Donald Trump or Donald Trump?, by Anthony Man, Sun-Sentinel, February 24, 2024].
This MAGA insouciance is reminiscent of the disaster of 2022, and even the wishful thinking of 2020.
Nevertheless, immigration is now the top issue in the 2024 campaign [Immigration Surges to Top of Most Important Problem List, by Jeffrey Jones, Gallup, February 27, 2024]. While President Biden leads polls on the abortion issue, and will try to turn the election into a referendum on that, President Trump has a sizable advantage over the incumbent on crime, the economy, and especially the border crisis [Americans split on who they trust to do a better job as president: POLL, ABC, March 10, 2024].
Sen. James Lankford (R-OK), who has that weird combination of effeminacy, fear, and eldritch otherworldliness in a phenotype typical of Conservative Inc. lackeys from College Republicans to the highest offices of state, is doing his best to sabotage President Trump on the issue [‘It’s true’: Sen Lankford nods as Biden rehashed immigration bill in State of the Union, by Alexia Aston, The Oklahoman, March 9, 2024].
Yet assuming the Senate can summon the will to vote on the Laken Riley Act, President Biden will soon have to decide whether he wants to veto a popular bill to protect his precious illegal alien criminals.
The Trump campaign can turn this election into a referendum on immigration. President Biden has already shown he doesn’t have the stomach to pull a Sister Souljah moment to triangulate against his pro-invasion base.
Obviously, immigration is the most important issue, because it cuts to the heart of the National Question.
But considering the closeness of this election, and the GOP’s structural disadvantages, it may also be the Trump campaign’s only real hope.
James Kirkpatrick [Email him | Tweet him @VDAREJamesK] is a Beltway veteran and a refugee from Conservatism Inc. His latest book is Conservatism Inc.: The Battle for the American Right. Read VDARE.com Editor Peter Brimelow’s Preface here.
