The comments came on the two-year anniversary of Biden’s disastrous performance in the presidential debates.
Americans react to surveillance of pool showing Lincoln Memorial
“I think surveillance is always a good thing.” Americans react to surveillance cameras installed around the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.
WASHINGTON – Former President Joe Biden called his successor in the Oval Office a “loser” and accused him of fixating on “vanity projects” at the White House and Kennedy Center at a gala event in Maryland over the weekend.
Biden ticked off a list of efforts by President Donald Trump, including building an “arch in his honor” and “hiring his own pool attendant to restore the reflecting pool.”
“Hey, what a loser,” the 46th president said.
USA TODAY has reached out to the White House for comment.
The 47th president has long had a strong interest in renovation and construction. He has consistently maintained that he is working to beautify the nation’s capital, from the planned East Wing ballroom to the Lincoln Memorial’s reflecting pool.
But critics have questioned the need for and development of these projects, especially since the White House has repeatedly said it will focus on reducing government waste, fraud and abuse during President Trump’s second term.
For example, in April, President Trump called the reflecting pool a “filthy, dirty” place and said it was “leaking like a sieve.” A USA TODAY analysis of federal contract data found that 20 days before President Trump first announced the renovations, the administration had already committed $8.5 million to renovate the pool, even though the president said it would cost $2 million.
Since then, the pool has come under close scrutiny as workers scramble to remove algae that had turned green (after it was painted blue).
“Reflecting Pool reflects something even worse: the narcissism and incompetence at the core of this administration,” Biden said on June 27.
The Trump administration is facing challenges in the courts and Congress over the Kennedy Center and the new White House ballroom. A federal judge last week ordered President Trump to account for the tarp and scaffolding covering the Kennedy Center’s main entrance after his name was removed.
Biden’s comments come on the second anniversary of his disastrous performance in the presidential debates, which led to growing calls within the Democratic Party for him to withdraw from the 2024 election and ushered in Kamala Harris’ failed candidacy.
Contributor: Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA TODAY
Zachary Schermele is USA TODAY’s Congressional Correspondent. You can email us at zschermele@usatoday.com. Follow him on X at @ZachSchermele and on Bluesky at @zachschermele.bsky.social..
