President Biden was urged to “say her name” Thursday night during his State of the Union address, in reference to Laken Riley, the Georgia college student allegedly killed by an illegal immigrant last month.
When Biden mentioned her, it sounded like he messed up Riley's name and said “Lincoln” instead.
Naturally, “Lincoln Riley” trended on X, formerly Twitter, but the social media platform isn't always perfect.
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Southern California coach Lincoln Riley watches during the second half of the team's game against UCLA ov. January 18, 2023, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
X described the trend as a “sporty” theme. Of course, that wasn't correct, but it makes sense.
Lincoln Riley is a real person, the head football coach at USC.
For those who weren't watching the speech, it may have come as a surprise to see the coach's name top trending charts on social media out of nowhere. And sometimes, unfortunately, it's not good news.
Pat McAfee, host of “The Pat McAfee Show,” spotted the trend and thought the worst had happened to the coach.
“Last night I saw someone with a microphone addressing the entire nation. He made an announcement that Lincoln Riley was dead,” McAfee said on his show Friday. “I bring my phone up after this event we're at, and it's Lincoln Riley, and he's trending everywhere. I click, 'he's dead.' Lincoln Riley is dead? Wait a second, who said that? ” The president? Lincoln Riley is dead? How is this happening?
Laken Riley and President Biden (Getty Images)
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“I saw your name trending, [so] I was like, 'Wait, he was just on the show.' I was like, 'What did Lincoln Riley do?'”
Biden was devastated by the apparent mishap, especially Laken's mother, Allyson Phillips.
“Biden doesn't even KNOW my daughter's name, it's pathetic! If you're going to say her name (even when forced to), at least say the right name!” she wrote on Facebook.
“Joe Biden just confused Laken Riley, a college student murdered by an illegal immigrant, with USC football coach Lincoln Riley. This just happened. The man's brain is mush. Incredibly disrespectful,” said the Outkick founder Clay Travis.
Actor James Woods, a prominent Hollywood conservative, posted: “'Lincoln' Riley? Just awful.”
Head coach Lincoln Riley of the USC Trojans enters the field for the spring football game at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on April 15, 2023 in Los Angeles. (Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images)
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On “Hannity,” House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, also weighed in.
“It's Laken Riley, not Lincoln,” Jordan said. “And we must remember that because it is [Biden’s] “The policies that led to this tragedy that happened to this young woman in Georgia and what her family now has to face.”
Fox News' Charles Creitz and Brie Stimson contributed to this report.
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