Trump's Latest Rambling Speech Reveals Two Things He Can't Quit: Joe Biden & Nicknames

When Donald Trump gets a podium, he's inclined to stay there for a long, long time. In March 2025, the president's address in front of Congress lasted 100 minutes, making it the longest speech at one of these events. On April 9, 2025, Trump continued his garrulous streak at the National Republican Congressional Committee's dinner, speaking almost 90 minutes. Sporting his signature patchy makeup, Trump couldn't resist an opportunity to indulge his passion for calling Joe Biden derogatory names. Trump's made up some wild nicknames for various political opponents, and Biden appears to be one of his favorite targets. Since "Basement Biden" never gained traction, Trump stuck with his eternal favorites, "Sleepy Joe" and "Crooked Joe."

About a half-hour into his speech, Trump noted the outsized amount of time he spent on devising unkind monikers for his rival. "The hardest thing I had to do with Joe Biden is the nickname. Do I call him sleepy Joe or crooked Joe? Could we take a vote, please?" Trump queried the audience. Then the president gave himself a gold star for his creativity. "They both work. They both work beautifully."

While Trump's audience cheered his Biden-bashing, social media users flipped the script and used the "sleepy" nickname to compliment the stability of Biden's presidency. One even passed the diss onto Trump, posting a clip of the president looking decidedly drowsy at an event. "So you say Sleepy Joe was bad but Sleepy Don is ok?" they questioned on X (formerly Twitter).

For years, Donald Trump has been prolific at creating nicknames. "Some people say I'm very good at that," Trump informed Fox News in 2024 (via X).  However, others would argue that Trump's slew of ridiculing monikers has been very hit or miss stretching back to his first presidential term. For instance, Trump had already dubbed Hillary Clinton "crooked Hillary" before transferring the insult to Joe Biden. Biden reportedly has his own brutal nickname for Trump; however, he apparently uses in only in private.

Trump's naming habits have backfired on occasion, inciting criticism of the nicknamer-in-chief rather than the person he's trying to disparage. In a March 2024 Truth Social post, Trump invented a new name for himself, "Honest Don," to contrast with "Crooked Joe." This one didn't land well. On X, one user pronounced him "Don the Con" instead, and posted a photo of an article from The Washington Post that touted over 30,000 instances where Trump had distorted the truth. "Doesn't DIShonest Don suit him better?" remarked another poster.

In April 2025, Trump got even more backlash when he couldn't resist wordplay amid the worry and uncertainty of his tariffs. He proclaimed on X, "Don't be a PANICAN (A new party based on Weak and Stupid people!)." Jon Stewart insulted the president's creative abilities, inquiring on "The Daily Show," "Did the overseas factory you had been sourcing your nicknames from get shut down during the tariff war?"