Topline
At a Democratic Party gala in Maryland on Saturday evening, former President Joe Biden labeled his successor, President Donald Trump, a “loser” while condemning Trump’s efforts to reshape Washington, D.C. landmarks. Biden argued that the continuing dispute over the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool exemplifies the alleged corruption within the Trump administration.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden attends the dedication ceremony for the opening of the Barack Obama Presidential Center earlier in June.
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Key Facts
Speaking at the gala, Biden denounced what he described as Trump’s vanity initiatives in the nation’s capital, citing the proposed triumphal arch, the renaming of the Kennedy Center, and the demolition of the East Wing to accommodate a new ballroom.
He also took aim at Trump for reportedly employing his personal pool contractor to work on the reflecting pool, noting that Trump had previously mentioned in April that the renovation would be handled by a contractor who had serviced a pool at one of his golf resorts.
The remark drew laughter and applause from the Maryland Democratic audience, leading Biden to retort, “whoa, what a loser.”
Biden asserted that the continuing controversy over the reflecting pool reflects narcissism and incompetence at the heart of the administration, describing it as blatant corruption.
The event occurred precisely two years after Biden and Trump faced off on the debate stage, a encounter that proved disastrous for the former president and led him to withdraw from the 2024 presidential contest weeks afterward.
