Trump has name-dropped Biden almost 900 times this year and counting

US President Donald Trump has invoked Joe Biden’s name nearly 900 times this year, according to a Reuters analysis, keeping his predecessor at the heart of political debate as Republicans fight to maintain their slim majority in Congress ahead of November's midterm elections.

Trump has targeted Biden, a Democrat, an average of three times daily across public addresses, press remarks, and Truth Social posts. He has blamed Biden for wide-ranging challenges, from inflation and border security to military ammunition deficits, even as the former president, 83 and battling Stage 4 cancer, has largely withdrawn from public life.

The strategy highlights Trump's effort to keep voters focused on outrage over the previous administration rather than concerns over his own presidency, with six weeks remaining until the November 3 midterm elections.

Democrats "delivered you four years of disaster, bedlam and death under sleepy Joe Biden," Trump, 80, told the party faithful at the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9.

"Donald Trump always needs a foil and it's better to have a single person than a party," said Republican strategist Ryan Williams. "He’s done this throughout his time in office. He can use it to try to deflect any problems he’s currently facing."

The Reuters analysis reviewed Trump's references to Biden beginning in January, as the 2026 election cycle took shape. The data underscores Trump's effort to focus attention on Biden as his own approval ratings have dropped, the war with Iran continues, and the cost of living remains high.

Since January 1, Trump has called out Biden by name at least 890 times, spanning nearly 200 public events and interviews alongside approximately 190 Truth Social posts this year.

He has invoked Biden at least 210 times on economic issues, 168 times on immigration, and 138 times on foreign policy and national security, while also blaming him for various other domestic matters.

These criticisms have occurred at events as varied as first lady Melania Trump’s movie premiere, the National Prayer Breakfast, and the traditional Easter Egg Roll on the White House South Lawn. During a July NATO meeting in Turkey, Trump set a record for single-day mentions with 16, blaming Biden for munitions shortages, housing costs, and denigrating the steel industry.

While presidents frequently blame their predecessors—as Biden did with Trump—Trump's emphasis on Biden 20 months into his second term stands out for both its volume and persistence.

"Joe Biden is the worst president in American history, and President Trump has spent every day cleaning up his mess and making the United States of America stronger than ever before," said Olivia Wales, a White House spokeswoman defending Trump's repeated references.

T.J. Ducklo, a spokesman for Biden, declined to comment.

However, Meghan Hays, a former senior Biden White House official, criticized what she termed Trump's "obsession."

"Nine hundred mentions in less than a year isn’t governing, it’s an obsession. Joe Biden beat him once and Trump still hasn’t gotten over it. He's more focused on re-litigating 2020 than lowering the cost of gas and groceries for the American people," she said, referring to Biden's 2020 election victory that Trump falsely claims was stolen from him.

In February, Trump publicly claimed ownership of the economy. Now, as public opinion polls indicate growing voter frustration with his economic management, Trump is attributing rising living costs back to Biden.

"I hope everyone realizes that price increases throughout America were caused by Sleepy Joe Biden and the Biden Administration, not by ‘TRUMP,’" the president posted on Truth Social last week.

Some Trump supporters at the Dallas convention told Reuters they believe Biden remains to blame for inflation 20 months after leaving office. However, opinion polls suggest most Americans direct their frustration over inflation toward Trump.

Inflation reached more than 9% during Biden's presidency, driven in part by pandemic-related supply chain disruptions, Russia's invasion of Ukraine, and economic stimulus spending.

Trump won election primarily on a promise to lower prices, but they have remained elevated, partly due to his war on Iran. Year-on-year inflation averaged 4.95% a month during Biden's four years, compared to an average of 2.94% a month since Trump took office, standing at 3.4% last month.

"Politics is always about the future and never about the past, so blaming your predecessor does not work. Especially for an incumbent. He must defend his own record to help his party," said veteran Republican strategist Charlie Black, who has at times criticized Trump.

After the economy, immigration is the issue on which Trump most frequently references Biden.

As Trump's expanded deportation initiative drew widespread criticism and protests this year, he repeatedly sought to transfer responsibility to his predecessor, contending that Biden's policies allowed record levels of unauthorized immigration along the US-Mexico border.

Following an incident in January where federal immigration agents killed two American citizens protesting in Minnesota, Trump blamed the "open border policies of Biden" for "all of the time that we spend talking about Minnesota."

The president addresses border crossing levels under Biden and his own administration's tougher measures so frequently that he recently acknowledged his advisers were attempting to steer him away from the topic.

"Even my speechwriters, they say, ‘Sir, nobody wants to hear about the border anymore. You've done it,’" Trump recounted in the Oval Office in August. "Biden couldn't do it," he added.

Facing pressure to end the war on Iran that he launched nearly seven months ago, Trump has invoked Biden at least 37 times. He accuses his predecessor of lacking resolve toward Tehran during his 2021-2025 presidency and of "creating a monster with Iran" via the 2015 nuclear agreement negotiated under former President Barack Obama while Biden was vice president.

Biden's policy toward Iran focused on applying economic pressure on Tehran, an approach Trump has adopted amid sporadic military clashes.

Trump initially rejected media reports indicating US missile stockpiles were rapidly depleting, but in May he began attributing shortages to Biden.

"I'd like to have more (munitions) to be honest, but so much was given to Ukraine by Biden," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on July 27.

In total, Trump has cited Biden for global crises at least 138 times, spanning Ukraine, Iran, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, and a soft stance on China.

Trump has also taken personal jabs at Biden, questioning his mental acuity and criticizing his use of an autopen to sign official documents—a standard practice utilized by numerous presidents.

Sitting at a picnic table and signing eggs during April's White House Easter Egg Roll, Trump told children surrounding him that Biden "gave everything to the autopen because he was incapable of signing, let alone running a country."

A prominent stop on the tour Trump provides guests at his "presidential walk of fame" near the White House Rose Garden features a display dedicated to Biden. While other leaders are depicted with photographs, Biden is represented by an image of an autopen.

Trump has invoked Biden even when discussing localized matters, such as the renovation of the Reflecting Pool on Washington's National Mall. He claimed, without presenting evidence, that the project's difficulties stemmed from neglect during Biden's tenure or pre-existing reconstruction work.

The pool currently sits empty two months after initial renovation work ended. Although Trump blamed vandals for the project's setbacks, the Justice Department acknowledged in August that recent "flawed" renovation work resulted in the lining peeling—an issue connected to work executed under Trump's administration.