Key facts
- President Joe Biden called Donald Trump "a loser" at a Maryland Democratic Party gala.
- Biden criticized Trump's alleged incompetence, corruption, and vanity.
- Specific examples cited include the White House East Wing renovation and the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool project.
- Biden accused Trump of corruption on a scale never seen before in American history.
- Biden also criticized Trump's foreign policy, including his relationship with Vladimir Putin and NATO.
President Joe Biden delivered a sharp critique of his predecessor, Donald Trump, at a Maryland Democratic Party gala, labeling him "a loser" and accusing him of incompetence, corruption, and vanity. Biden invoked several of Trump's past projects and actions, including the demolition of the White House's East Wing for a ballroom and the renovation of the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, to illustrate his points.
Biden specifically highlighted the $1.7 million no-bid contract awarded for the reflecting pool's filtration system to a Trump donor, calling it "brazen, blatant corruption." He contrasted Trump's alleged narcissism and incompetence with what he described as corruption on an unprecedented scale in American history.
Further criticisms included Trump's relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, particularly following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, and accusations of "deliberate distortion and destruction" of the NATO military alliance. Biden asserted that Trump has diminished the United States' standing in the world more than any other president.
The remarks come two years after a televised debate with Trump that preceded Biden's decision to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. The speech also touches on the visibility of the Biden family, with former first lady Jill Biden publishing her memoir and son Hunter Biden gaining attention for his social media posts and a presidential pardon for federal gun and tax charges.