President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump held dueling campaign events in Georgia on Saturday, where they traded barbs over the death of a nursing student and immigration as they turned their focus towards the general election.

Their campaign rallies, which marked the second time Mr. Biden and Trump were in the same state in recent weeks, were overshadowed by the tragic death of Laken Riley, a University of Georgia nursing student who was killed by an alleged undocumented immigrant from Venezuela while jogging on campus.

During an interview with MSNBC on Saturday, Mr. Biden apologized for using the term “illegal” to describe the man who allegedly killed Riley during his State of the Union address. He acknowledged that he should have used the term “undocumented” instead.

Trump seized on Biden’s comments and blamed Riley’s death on Biden’s immigration policies. Trump also met with Riley’s parents backstage before his campaign event in Rome, Georgia, where he criticized Biden for apologizing to the killer.

On the issue of immigration, Mr. Biden and his allies have criticized Trump for encouraging Congressional Republicans to vote against a bipartisan border bill earlier this year. Maryland Governor Wes Moore, a Biden campaign surrogate at his Atlanta rally, emphasized the importance of immigration reform and blamed Trump for its failure.

A crucial battleground for both campaigns

The Peach State is a crucial battleground for both campaigns, with Mr. Biden winning Georgia in 2020 by a slim margin. Trump’s campaign in Georgia comes as he seeks to secure the GOP nomination, with the state’s voters potentially delivering him the required delegates to officially become the party’s nominee.

Rebuilding his winning coalition from 2020, especially among minority voters, will be critical for Mr. Biden in Georgia. Despite his current support among Black and Hispanic voters being lower than in 2020, the campaign has been investing in media buys for minority-owned outlets and has received endorsements from major political committees representing minority groups.

Trump’s trip to Georgia also marks his first visit back to the state since August, when he faced legal challenges related to efforts to overturn the 2020 election results. The former president’s return to Georgia is significant as the state, along with Hawaii, Mississippi, and Washington, holds its presidential nominating contests on Tuesday, March 12.

Overall, the dueling campaign events in Georgia highlighted the stark differences between Biden and Trump on key issues like immigration and law enforcement, setting the stage for a heated general election battle in the state.

Taurean Small contributed reporting.