President Donald Trump has been consistently referencing his predecessor, former President Joe Biden, even more than three months into his term. Trump frequently brings up Biden in various contexts, from discussing the stock market to international crises like the war in Gaza and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In a recent interview with NBC’s Kristen Welker, Trump attributed the good parts of the economy to himself while blaming the bad parts on the “Biden economy,” mentioning Biden around 20 times during the conversation.
Analyzing transcripts of Trump’s public remarks and those of his key spokespeople, TIME found that in the first 100 days of the Trump White House, “Biden” was the fifth most frequently used word. Despite criticism from Andrew Bates, Biden’s former senior deputy White House press secretary, for Trump’s constant blaming, Trump continues to associate Biden with negative economic news, such as the recent GDP shrinkage in the first quarter.
Polls indicate that the public is likely to attribute any economic issues to Trump’s trade policies, with a significant portion of Americans expressing skepticism about the benefits of Trump’s tariffs. Meanwhile, Biden has started reemerging in the public eye, criticizing Trump’s administrative decisions and preparing for appearances on mainstream media shows like ABC’s The View.
As Biden makes a return to national prominence, the upcoming release of several books delving into his time in office and the controversies surrounding his mental acuity are expected to further shape the political discourse. These include titles like “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” and “2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America.”