Former President Joe Biden called Donald Trump “a loser” at a Maryland Democratic gala on Saturday, delivering one of his sharpest attacks on his successor since leaving office two years ago.
Speaking at the Maryland Democratic Party’s “Fight Back & Win” gala in Hanover, Biden spent ten minutes detailing Trump’s Washington makeover projects, which he portrayed as symbols of narcissism, incompetence, and corruption. “What a loser,” Biden said repeatedly while listing the initiatives.
Biden specifically targeted Trump’s $14.7 million renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, which suffered an algae bloom that undermined the project. He also criticized Trump’s demolition of the White House East Wing to make room for a ballroom, the addition of Trump’s name to the Kennedy Center facade (later court-ordered removed), and plans for a triumphal arch.
The reflecting pool project became a focal point for Biden’s corruption allegations. The federal government awarded a $1.7 million no-bid contract for the filtration system to a Trump donor who is a neighbor of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club in Florida, according to The Guardian. “It reflects something even worse than the narcissism and incompetence at the core of this administration,” Biden said. “It’s the corruption—the corruption, the brazen, blatant corruption. Corruption on a scale never seen before in American history in any administration.”
Biden also invoked Trump’s relationship with Vladimir Putin, accusing him of “deliberate distortion and destruction” of NATO and diminishing America’s standing globally. “He’s diminished our standing in the world more than any president in history has,” Biden, 83, said of Trump, 80.
The timing of the speech carried symbolic weight: it came exactly two years after Biden’s disastrous televised debate with Trump on June 28, 2024, a performance that prompted Biden to withdraw from the 2024 presidential race. Trump went on to defeat Biden’s endorsed successor, Vice President Kamala Harris, in the general election.
Biden’s remarks came as he and his family have become more visible on the political scene since his departure from the White House. His wife, Jill Biden, published her memoir “View from the East Wing” in June, and their son Hunter has gained attention for social media posts on politics and personal recovery. The gala speech signals Biden’s continued engagement ahead of the November midterm elections, where Democrats hope to wrest control of Congress from Trump and Republicans.
Sources
- The Guardian — Biden’s full speech remarks, details on the reflecting pool contract, and accusations of corruption
- The Washington Post — Timing of the speech on the two-year anniversary of Biden’s debate performance
- Forbes — Biden’s criticism of Trump’s reflecting pool project and vanity projects
- USA Today — Biden’s direct quotes calling Trump “a loser” and criticizing vanity projects
- The Independent — Crowd reaction to Biden’s speech and his call for Democrats to “Get up, dammit!”
