Trump in Atlanta Accuses Kamala Harris of Responsibility for Death of Georgia Nursing Student Laken Riley

Former President Donald Trump, joined by his Republican running mate U.S. Senator JD Vance from Ohio, held a rally at Georgia State University in Atlanta on Saturday. This event followed a speech by Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic nominee, at the same venue earlier in the week.

The contrasting rallies underscored the intense competition for Georgia, one of the nation's key battlegrounds.

During his speech, Trump launched a vehement attack on Harris, attributing the death of Laken Riley, a 22-year-old nursing student who was violently murdered on the University of Georgia campus, directly to her.

"Kamala Harris should not be seeking your vote,” Trump declared to a crowd of thousands at the Georgia State University arena. “Instead, she should be pleading with Laken Riley’s family for forgiveness."

Trump accused Harris of having Riley’s “blood on her hands” and implied she was complicit in the horrific crime.

Riley was found dead on February 22 in a wooded area near UGA’s intramural fields. The accused, 26-year-old Jose Antonio Ibarra from Venezuela, was apprehended in 2022 after entering the U.S. illegally. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Trump and other Republicans have been leveraging the tragedy to criticize Democratic immigration policies, attempting to galvanize their base with accusations against Harris.

This week, Trump’s campaign has launched a series of ads in Georgia and other critical states attacking Harris over immigration issues. In her recent rally in Atlanta, Harris committed to reviving a bipartisan border security agreement that Trump had previously opposed.