Six weeks before the midterm elections scheduled for November 3, US President Donald Trump has returned his predecessor Joe Biden to the forefront of the American political scene, repeating his name extensively in his speeches, interviews and publications. A review conducted by Reuters revealed that Trump mentioned Biden no less than 890 times since the beginning of 2026, at a rate of approximately three times a day, distributed across about 200 events and interviews and about 190 publications on the “Truth Social” platform. This movement comes at a time when the Republican Party is seeking to defend its narrow majority in Congress.
Trump was keen to include the name of his Democratic predecessor in most of the files and issues raised, holding him directly responsible for crises that extend from inflation and costs of living to immigration, ammunition shortages, foreign policy and national security. According to a Reuters count, Biden’s name appeared at least 210 times in the economic context, 168 times in the immigration file, and 138 times in foreign policy and national security, in addition to his frequent presence in other internal files.
These references were not limited to major election rallies, such as the Republican Party’s caucus in Dallas on September 9, but extended to various occasions such as the premiere of First Lady Melania Trump’s film, the National Prayer Breakfast, and an Easter event at the White House. The highest record for mentioning Biden’s name in one day was set during a NATO meeting in Turkey last July, where Trump mentioned him 16 times, linking him to issues related to housing costs, the steel industry, and ammunition shortages.
Regarding the economic file, the Reuters review showed a shift in Trump’s speech, which he had previously announced in February that he took responsibility for the economy, before returning to hold the Biden administration responsible for the rise in prices. This comes in light of a Reuters/Ipsos poll published on September 14, which showed that approval for Trump’s performance reached 35%, compared to 33% in late August, amid continued popular anxiety about the economic conditions. The immigration file also occupied a prominent space, as Trump accused the Biden administration of causing an influx of irregular crossers to the southern border, coinciding with the current administration’s expansion of deportations and border restrictions.
In foreign policy, Trump invoked Biden’s name dozens of times when discussing Iran, Afghanistan, Ukraine, and China, in addition to holding him partly responsible for the shortage in American ammunition stocks. On the other hand, the White House defended this approach, as spokeswoman Olivia Wells stated that Trump was working to address the effects of Biden’s policies, while a Biden spokesman refused to comment to Reuters.
For her part, Megan Hayes, a former official in the White House during the Biden era, criticized this repetition, describing it as “obsession,” and considering that the current administration should focus on livelihood issues instead of constantly returning to the 2020 elections. As the time approaches for American voters to go to the polls to defend the Republican majority in Congress, Biden continues his overwhelming presence in Trump’s electoral speech, despite his actual distance from daily political life.
