Trump Keeps Biden at Center of 2026 Midterm Messaging, Mentioning Him Nearly 900 Times

September 21, 2026 — A Reuters review finds President Donald Trump has repeatedly invoked former President Joe Biden across speeches, interviews and social-media posts as the November midterm elections approach.

President Donald Trump has mentioned former President Joe Biden by name at least 890 times since January 1, according to a Reuters review of speeches, interviews and social-media posts.

The review found those references spread across nearly 200 public events and interviews plus roughly 190 Truth Social posts, averaging about three Biden mentions per day during 2026.

Reuters counted at least 210 references tied to the economy, 168 involving immigration and 138 concerning foreign policy or national security, showing how broadly Biden appears in Trump’s messaging.

Trump has invoked Biden in settings ranging from political conventions to White House events, and Reuters recorded a single-day high of 16 mentions during July’s NATO meeting in Turkey.

At the Republican midterm convention in Dallas on September 9, Trump again attacked the record of the previous Democratic administration while urging voters to support Republican candidates in November.

Trump has explicitly argued that Biden remains responsible for current economic pressures, writing September 14 that price increases should be attributed to the previous administration rather than his own.

The dispute over responsibility is particularly important because affordability remains a major concern for voters, creating competing narratives over how much present economic conditions reflect current versus previous policies.

Official data show consumer prices rose 3.4% in the 12 months through August 2026, while gasoline prices increased 27.4% from a year earlier, keeping household expenses politically significant.

Energy prices were especially notable: the Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that its broader energy index increased 16.3% year over year, while gasoline rose another 3.9% during August alone.

A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted August 28-31 found 47% of registered voters considered cost of living the single most important factor in deciding their vote in the 2026 congressional elections.

The same survey found 71% of U.S. adults disapproved of Trump’s handling of cost-of-living issues while 22% approved, helping explain the campaign’s increased attention to responsibility for prices.

Immigration is another recurring subject. Trump frequently contrasts current border enforcement with Biden-era policies and has repeatedly told audiences that his administration reversed what he describes as earlier failures.

Trump has even acknowledged advisers encouraging him to spend less time discussing the border, while continuing to argue that the contrast with Biden demonstrates one of his administration’s accomplishments.

National security provides another opportunity for comparison. During a July discussion of U.S. ammunition supplies, Trump connected current stockpile pressures to weapons transferred to Ukraine under the Biden administration.

Trump said the United States still possessed substantial ammunition supplies but wanted more sophisticated weapons available, while maintaining that large quantities had previously been provided to Ukraine under Biden.

The president has also continued criticizing Biden’s use of an autopen. A White House presidential gallery installed in 2025 depicts Biden with an autopen image rather than a conventional portrait.

Biden, meanwhile, has maintained a considerably smaller public political presence since leaving office, although he appeared at a South Carolina Democratic gathering in February and criticized Trump during his remarks.

Political strategists quoted by Reuters offered different interpretations of Trump’s continued focus, with some describing Biden as a useful political foil and others questioning whether blaming a predecessor helps an incumbent administration.

The November 3 midterms provide the immediate backdrop, with both parties emphasizing issues such as affordability, immigration and foreign policy as they compete for control of Congress.

With roughly six weeks remaining before Election Day, Biden remains a recurring reference point in Trump’s public messaging, even nearly two years after the former Democratic president left the White House.