STORY
Joe Biden has accused Donald Trump of corruption in one of his strongest public attacks on the US President since leaving office. The former President made the comments during a speech to Democrats in Hanover, Maryland, where he criticised Trump’s conduct in office and sought to rally the party ahead of next year’s midterm elections. Biden described Trump as corrupt, incompetent and vain, and told Democrats they had a duty to challenge what he called an abuse of presidential power.
Biden used the speech to attack Trump over public spending, White House renovation projects and alleged political favouritism. He singled out work connected to the Lincoln Memorial reflecting pool, saying Trump had given work to an old associate and using the episode as an example of what he described as “brazen, blatant corruption”.
The remarks marked a notably combative intervention from Biden, who has been less prominent in day-to-day political campaigning since ending his re-election bid in 2024. His comments came on the second anniversary of the televised debate that badly damaged his campaign and led to Democratic pressure for him to withdraw from the race.
Biden also criticised Trump’s approach to foreign policy, accusing him of weakening America’s alliances and damaging the country’s standing in the world. He said Democrats needed to present themselves as defenders of democratic institutions, international partnerships and basic standards in public life.