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The mood between President Joe Biden and President-elect Donald Trump is increasingly strained as the January 20 inauguration approaches, setting the stage for a frosty transfer of power. Known for their mutual disdain, the two leaders have never been close.
Biden considers Trump a threat to America’s soul, while Trump has often derided Biden as “Sleepy Joe” and accused him, without evidence, of orchestrating his multiple indictments.
In the days leading up to the inauguration, the relationship between the two has grown even more contentious. Biden has been making pointed remarks seemingly aimed at riling Trump, while Trump has used his social media platform, Truth Social, to fire back.
On Wednesday, Biden urged caution about the New Orleans terror attack, warning against “jumping to conclusions.” This came just hours after Trump had done exactly that, claiming on social media that the suspect was a foreign terrorist who had crossed the southern border.
In reality, the suspect was a natural-born U.S. citizen from Texas. Trump’s statement appeared to be based on an erroneous media report, but he continued to link the incident to Biden’s border policies.
Biden’s critique of Trump has also extended to symbolic gestures. On Sunday, when asked what Trump could learn from the life of the late President Jimmy Carter, Biden responded emphatically, “Decency. Decency. Decency.”
He contrasted Carter’s moral leadership with Trump’s approach, stating, “Can you imagine Jimmy Carter walking by someone who needs help and just keeping on walking? I can’t.” Biden implied that Trump’s character and leadership style were not reflective of America’s values.
Furthering the divide, Biden awarded one of America’s highest civilian honors, the Presidential Citizens Medal, to Liz Cheney on Thursday. Cheney, a former Republican congresswoman and vocal critic of Trump, was honored for her role as vice chair of the January 6th committee investigating the Capitol riot.
Cheney received a prolonged standing ovation during the ceremony, where Biden praised her for “putting the American people over party.”
Cheney’s recognition was seen as a direct repudiation of Trump, who continues to face backlash for his refusal to accept the 2020 election results.
Capitol Hill Republicans have threatened to investigate Cheney’s role in the January 6 inquiry, and speculation has arisen that Biden might offer her a preemptive pardon to shield her from any potential criminal prosecution, despite no evidence that she broke the law.
Trump, on the other hand, has doubled down on his criticism of Biden. He once again linked the New Orleans truck attack, which killed 14 people, to Biden’s border policies.
“With the Biden ‘Open Border’s Policy,’ I said many times during rallies that Radical Islamic Terrorism, and other forms of violent crime, will become so bad in America that it will become hard to even imagine or believe,” Trump wrote on Truth Social. “That time has come, only worse than ever imagined. Joe Biden is the WORST PRESIDENT IN THE HISTORY OF AMERICA, A COMPLETE AND TOTAL DISASTER.”
While Trump has raised valid concerns about the possibility of terrorists exploiting the southern border, Biden’s own Homeland Security Department has warned about such risks. However, Trump’s implication that the New Orleans attack is an example of this threat is misleading.
The attack, carried out by a U.S. citizen inspired by ISIS, reflects a broader issue that the FBI views with even greater concern: domestic radicalization.
Despite their personal animosity, officials from both administrations have reportedly worked well together on key national security matters to ensure a smooth transition of power.
Biden has provided Trump with something the 45th president did not offer him in 2020: an uncontested and peaceful transfer of power.
As January 20 looms, the relationship between Biden and Trump remains defined by their deep ideological and personal divides, setting the tone for what could be an exceptionally contentious next chapter in American politics.
