When is an apology not an apology? When the White House says so. Of course, the White House has also claimed that the economy is strong and that we did not have a problem at the border, so take that with a grain of salt. You should probably add that salt to the glass containing your margarita. You're going to need it.
In the wake of Biden's disastrous State of the Union address, in which he summoned enough presence of mind to use the term "illegals," the White House faced the backlash of the illegal immigration lobby, which did not take kindly to use of that adjective, no matter how accurate it may be.
Biden subsequently walked it back in an interview on MSNBC since not offending the sensitivities of our new undocumented friends takes precedence over the strain on the U.S. infrastructure and the nationwide spikes in crime like the murder of Laken Riley, whose name Biden botched during the address. That was bad enough, although, in this administration, things are never bad enough.
His comments on MSNBC earned him the ire of conservatives and Donald Trump, who pointed out that the president was essentially apologizing for his rare non-gaffe. The White House press office, displaying its usual presence of mind, took time out on Monday to explain that Biden did not apologize. Let's roll the tape:
According to the Daily Mail, on Monday, Deputy Press Secretary Olivia Dalton responded to a question about the interview by saying:
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.
Dalton went on to play one of Biden's favorite cards, the death of a family member, adding that Biden was speaking “passionately about knowing what it means to lose a child and extended his deep grief and condolences to Laken 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.”
The last sentence was a no-so-veiled dig at Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.), who wore a shirt to the speech that read "Say Her Name," referring to Riley's murder. She even gave the president a button bearing the same message.
By extension, Dalton's tone-deaf statement is also an indictment of every conservative or even every moderate who is appalled by Riley's death at the hands of an illegal immigrant. It is an affront to Riley's family and friends and an affront to every person in the United States who is feeling the pressure from reckless and selfish Democrat policies.
Forget about the smirk on Biden's face during the interview for just a moment. That could be chalked up to his age, cognitive impairment, and his track record of self-absorption. It is true that during the segment, he does not say, "I apologize for using the term 'illegal.'" But he does state on the record and on camera that he regrets it. However, the White House wants us to rest assured that he did not apologize and that conservatives are jerks. That is the takeaway.
Your local middle school's Junior Achievement Club could do a better job of managing the message.
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