Joe Biden Calls Trump a ‘Loser’ Over Reflecting Pool Repairs in Sharp Gala Jab

Former President Joe Biden has kept a low profile since leaving the White House, but he stepped up to the microphone on Saturday night with some direct criticism of President Donald Trump.

Speaking at a Democratic Party gala in Maryland, Biden called out what he saw as unnecessary changes to Washington landmarks and zeroed in on the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool.

He accused Trump of corruption on a scale never seen before in American history and specifically mentioned the pool repairs. Biden noted that Trump had gone ahead and hired his own pool guy to take care of it. The comment drew laughter and applause, prompting Biden to add, “Whoa, what a loser.”

The Reflecting Pool had undergone a major renovation that reportedly cost more than 14 million dollars. Workers drained it, resurfaced the bottom, and painted it in a color described as American flag blue. The idea was to freshen up the National Mall landmark ahead of summer events. But problems showed up quickly. Less than a month later, the paint started peeling and algae turned the water green.

Trump responded by blaming vandals. He said chemicals had been poured into the water and claimed someone had sliced a long slit, around 350 feet, in the lining with a box cutter or knife. He had mentioned a slightly shorter length earlier. The president warned that anyone caught vandalizing the pool or other monuments could face up to ten years in prison, and he said such penalties would be fully enforced. He has not presented public evidence backing up the vandalism claims.

Biden, who is 83 and received a diagnosis of late-stage prostate cancer last year, did not bring up his health during the appearance. His keynote speech lasted about ten minutes.