Biden's Brutal Trump Hair Diss Wasn't His First Time Shading The Former President's Looks

As November 2024 edged ever closer, the barbs between President Joe Biden and Former President Donald Trump became significantly more pointed. Accepting the challenge to finally debate each other in person, Biden hit below the belt as he addressed Trump. "I hear you're free on Wednesdays," the democratic contender quipped (via X, formerly known as Twitter), referencing the one weekday that Trump's hush money fraud trial wasn't in session. Biden has had plenty to say about how Trump ran the country during his one term, not to mention his attempts to hold onto his job after the 2020 election results. 

More surprisingly, though, are the current president's sly personal jabs at his opponent's looks. For instance, during an April 2024 speech to members of North America's Building Trade Unions, he recalled, "Remember when [Trump] was trying to deal with COVID? He suggested injecting a little bleach into your veins. He missed — it all went into his hair." As one X user cheered, "Dark Brandon is here!" Biden immediately added, "I shouldn't have said that," but the politician still smiled at the extended applause he got from the diss. Biden knows quite well that Trump's famous blonde hair is a sensitive subject for the former POTUS. And, despite his semi-apology, this is unlikely to be the last time Biden makes a joke like that since he's done it before.

Joe Biden was critical of Donald Trump even before they became political rivals. Back in 2018, two years before Biden tossed his hat into the ring, he took a swing at the then-president during a speech at an anti-sexual assault event in Miami. Referring to Trump's infamous "Access Hollywood" leaked tape, in which he boasted about being able to kiss and grab women at will, Biden denounced Trump's explanation that the remark was just harmless "locker room talk" between himself and Billy Bush. "I've been in a lot of locker rooms my whole life," he reasoned (via USA Today). "I'm a pretty damn good athlete. Any guy who talked that way was usually the fattest, ugliest S.O.B. in the room."

The current commander-in-chief took another dig at his opponent's girth during a March 2024 fundraiser in New York City featuring former presidents Barack Obama and Bill Clinton. Speaking about Trump's stances on important issues, Biden snarked, "All the things he's doing are so old [...] a little old and out of shape," (via NBC News). The jibe may have been payback for the time Trump coincidentally chose Biden's birthday to share his doctor's report. He claimed that the physician had declared him mentally sound and in better physical shape than predecessor, and longtime rival, Obama. Trump's appearance isn't the only thing Biden has riffed on either. At the 2024 White House Correspondents' Dinner, he slyly acknowledged that age was a major component of the presidential race, given the two candidates that citizens have to choose from, but clarified, "I'm a grown man running against a 6-year-old," (via NBC News). 

Although it could be seen as slightly odd or even unprofessional for the President of the United States to be cracking jokes about his rival's hair and waistline, but it's actually a calculated move on President Joe Biden's part as he and Donald Trump vie for their second terms. Trump is infamous for using belittling nicknames for his detractors including but not limited to "Pocahontas," "Crooked Hillary," and "Little Rocket Man," and yet his supporters still stand by him, even egging the controversial politician on. As Eric Schultz, a former advisor to Barack Obama, explained to NPR, Trump's campaign tactics are different from the norm, so "it's up to Biden to figure out how to adapt and play by new rules of engagement." Thus, when the former commander-in-chief appeared to nod off during his hush money trial, Biden coined a new nickname for Trump — "Sleepy Don" — to clap back at his opponent's frequent "Sleepy Joe" cracks.

But is this an effective tactic in general? Other political experts who spoke to NPR had their doubts. Because Trump has a civilian background, he may be able to get away with certain behavior that wouldn't fly from a career politician like Biden. It's worth noting that millions of viewers used to tune in to hear him give contestants on "The Apprentice" the boot with a blunt "You're fired." Trying to match Trump at his own game puts Biden at a distinct disadvantage. "You could spend all day just responding," asserted Karen Finney, former campaign adviser to Hillary Clinton. If Biden plans to continue this strategy, the presidential debates could end up sounding more like a fourth-grade playground brawl.