-(4)-1731951738-q80.webp){kind=small}
Nearly a month into his second term, President Donald Trump continues to target former President Joe Biden, using his predecessor as a political foil despite Biden’s retreat from the public eye.
Over the weekend, Trump promoted his upcoming Super Bowl interview, but not without taking a jab at Biden.
“There hasn’t been one in four years (Gee I wonder why),” Trump posted on Truth Social, referencing Biden’s absence from the tradition during his presidency. While Biden did Super Bowl interviews in his first two years, he declined in his final two—a decision Democratic strategist David Axelrod called a sign of political vulnerability.
Just days later, Trump escalated his attacks, announcing that Biden would lose his security clearance and access to classified information.
“I will always protect our national security—JOE, YOU’RE FIRED,” Trump wrote.
Even after securing a second term, Trump has made Biden a recurring theme in his rhetoric. Despite moving forward with executive orders and policy changes, he frequently invokes his former rival, using him as a symbol of failed leadership.
Republican strategist Doug Heye sees Trump’s focus on Biden as a strategic move.
“Trump likes to punch down, and with Biden’s unpopularity, he’s a very tempting target,” Heye said. “Biden is one of Trump’s favorite punching bags, and he seems to enjoy it.”
Another GOP strategist added that Trump “consistently goes after the weakest link, and that happens to be Biden.”
Democrats, however, point to Biden’s 2020 victory over Trump as evidence that their party’s former leader still holds weight.
“He suffered the greatest professional loss of his life when he lost resoundingly to President Biden in 2020,” said Democratic strategist Lynda Tran. “I would expect him to continue to draw a contrast wherever he can—whether it’s big policy and substance or on personal style.”
Trump has long used political adversaries to rally his base. After his 2016 victory, he frequently attacked Hillary Clinton, branding her “Crooked Hillary” in speeches and online posts.
“She just can’t stop, which is so good for the Republican Party,” Trump posted on Twitter, now known as X, in 2017. “Hillary, get on with your life and give it another try in three years!”
Clinton responded by calling Trump “obsessed” with her, vowing to continue speaking out.
Biden, however, has largely disappeared from the spotlight since leaving office in November. Unlike Clinton, he did not even face Trump in the 2024 election after dropping out of the race last summer.
Despite this, Trump has shown less interest in attacking his actual 2024 opponent, former Vice President Kamala Harris, or other high-profile Democrats like former President Barack Obama.
In fact, after the two chatted at former President Jimmy Carter’s funeral last month, Trump remarked that he and Obama “probably do” like each other.
Instead, he remains fixated on drawing contrasts with Biden’s presidency.
“Trump has invested a lot of resources into making Joe Biden a bogeyman, and it’s hard to let him go,” said Democratic strategist Jamal Simmons. “Trump always operates in a comparative context, and he needs a villain. And Joe Biden is the villain that his voters remember most.”
Biden left office with low approval ratings, and some within his own party blame him for Trump’s return to power. Concerns about Biden’s age and mental fitness dominated the later months of his presidency, leading to pressure for him to withdraw from the race.
Meanwhile, Trump’s approval rating has been relatively strong in the early weeks of his second term. A CBS News/YouGov poll released this week found that 53 percent of respondents approve of his job performance, while 47 percent disapprove.
Still, Democrats argue that Trump’s focus on Biden serves as a distraction from the sweeping policy changes he has enacted.
“Any problem he encounters—often of his own making—he reflexively blames on the previous administration to avoid accountability,” said Democratic strategist Tim Hogan.
“It’s a selection strategy rooted in his grievance, but over time, it will wear thin as a tactic, especially as voters look for solutions rather than excuses.”
Democratic strategist Basil Smikle predicts that Trump’s attacks on Biden will be useful in the short term but will eventually lose relevance.
“By summer, he will own this economy and this government, and it will make the comparisons irrelevant,” Smikle said.
As Trump forges ahead with his second term, his reliance on Biden as a political target underscores his governing style—one rooted in conflict, contrast, and a continued effort to define his presidency against the failures of the past.
