Even after Joe Biden left the White House about a month ago, Donald Trump still thinks about him frequently.

Nearly every appearance Trump has made since regaining power has featured the previous president as a punchline and punching bag. With Republicans in complete control of Washington, Trump is constantly looking for an opponent, and Biden is at the top of the list.

In reference to the telework policy for federal employees, Trump stated last week in the Oval Office that "Biden is responsible for a lot of this stuff." "He is to blame."

Trump believes that Biden, not himself, bears the responsibility. The statement "The Buck Stops Here," which has been a tenet of most presidents since, gets a fresh twist thanks to the sign that once stood on Harry Truman's desk.

Trump and his team have attributed a long list of problems to Biden, including the high cost of eggs, the Potomac River airliner crash, the poorly managed FEMA disaster assistance, the wars in Gaza and Ukraine, the spread of terrorists in Somalia, growing US trade deficits, and a decline in ties with Beijing.

Trump criticized his predecessor eight times on Thursday, accusing him of being incompetent and holding him accountable for the conflict between Russia and Ukraine. "I thought that was a really dumb thing to say when he said that they could join NATO."

Trump's preferred contrast
Even if every presidency has its share of issues, Biden's administration stands out in history because it was positioned between Trump's first and second terms. Biden made it an effort to avoid calling Trump by name when he first assumed office, but he eventually stopped doing so.

According to Trump's allies, Biden has had a special place in his thoughts for years as a perennial opponent who he has never been able to vanquish at the polls. Trump takes great pleasure in employing Biden as a metaphor for a sharp difference between substance and style.

Trump criticized his predecessor dozens of times last week over issues like Ukraine, illegal immigration, and his dislike of paper straws as he gets used to signing executive acts and answering a wide range of questions from reporters almost every day.

Trump criticized Biden's border policies, saying, "Biden and the group of stupid people were the ones who led all of this." "Biden gives it because he's not a smart individual," he said, quickly moving on to discuss US help to Ukraine.

Ignore the fact that Trump defeated Kamala Harris to become the 47th president, making history. Even though he often ticks off the battleground states he carried and the popular vote he won in November, he rarely calls her by name.

Rather, Trump keeps going back to the Biden well.

One afternoon, Trump sat behind the Resolute Desk in the Oval Office, where Biden, the four-term president, had left a message wishing his successor well and writing, "May God bless you and guide you." He declared, "We've done more in two weeks than Biden's done in five, six years."

Since Trump's return to power, hardly a day has passed that he has not disparaged, blamed, and defamed Biden in relation to his foreign policy, domestic agenda, and other issues.

The former rival's age (Biden is 82, Trump is 78) and mental acuity are frequently brought up by Trump, who once again did so when he announced that he was removing Biden's security clearance and daily intelligence briefing access.

Trump made the announcement during his flight to Mar-a-Lago last weekend, precisely four years after Biden had done the same against him, pointing to his "erratic behavior" both before and after the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

Trump announced the action on social media with the words, "Joe, you're fired." "Make America Great Again" was his final catchphrase.

Biden remains silent
Biden, for his part, has returned to Delaware and adapted to life after the president.

According to sources familiar with the conversations, he has occasionally discussed Trump with old friends and allies, frequently expressing shock and dismay at the rapid-fire turn of events that occur every day. He has not acknowledged, even in private, that he has any responsibility for Trump's comeback.

A number of former Biden advisors stated that they would rather not discuss Trump's repeated derogatory remarks about their former boss in public. Biden's spokeswoman opted not to comment.

Trump's fixation on Biden is unique in a long line of interactions from one American leader to the next, according to Tim Naftali, a presidential historian and former director of the Richard Nixon Presidential Library.

"It's amazing that he cares," Naftali, a CNN contributor, remarked after winning the popular vote and seeing significantly higher approval ratings in his first few weeks. "Compared to Democrats, he mentions President Biden more frequently."

"Biden can't avoid it; talking about him is a way to mobilize his base," he continued.

Trump repeatedly criticized his defeated opponent, Hillary Clinton, when he first took office eight years ago. He also took a similar stance toward his predecessor, Barack Obama, who left office with a significantly higher approval rating than Biden. Trump's bogus assertion that Obama was born outside of the United States was the first instance of their animosity dating back years.

The animosity was viewed at the time as a significant lapse in presidential history. Even when they privately hated their predecessors and subtly criticized them in public, presidents of both parties have almost always attempted to at least appear to be cordial with them.

Trump, on the other hand, showed his contempt by wearing it on his sleeve. Along with a host of other issues, he accused Obama of spying on him in Trump Tower. He was also critical of his Republican predecessors, accusing George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush of being belligerent.

Compared to Obama, Trump has a much less popular opponent in Biden.

Even Democrats blasted the 46th president for not resigning sooner so that Harris or another candidate could launch a vigorous campaign to unseat Trump, and he left office with historically low approval ratings.

Trump did, however, appear to feel some pity for Biden's situation at one point. He lamented the president's exclusion from the Democratic ticket, calling it a brutal and undignified procedure.

A few weeks after Biden resigned, he declared, "I'm no Biden fan, and the presidency was taken away from Joe Biden."

A week after the November election, Trump and Biden met for almost two hours to talk about a peaceful handover of power, and the pleasantries persisted.

Trump declared, "I really appreciate that, Joe, and it will be as smooth as it can get."

But that tone didn't last long.

Even though he refrained from specifically denouncing Biden in his inauguration address, Trump did not hesitate to do so after declaring that "America's decline is over." Biden was already a common theme in Trump's speeches by the conclusion of his first week in office.

At a rally in Las Vegas, Trump addressed supporters about his alleged discussions with foreign counterparts in which he asserted—without providing any proof—that some had attempted to reach Biden but were informed he was asleep.

According to Trump, who cited French President Emmanuel Macron as his source, the foreign leaders were informed that "he'll call you back in two months."

Although Trump assigned his attorney general to carry out extensive investigations into the former administration when he took office, he has not yet ventured to initiate a formal criminal investigation of Biden himself.

Trump's remarks soon after taking office suggest that Biden may soon be the subject of an investigation.

"This scum that we had to deal with caused me to endure four years of hell." I endured agony for four years. Trump told Fox News, "I won after spending millions of dollars on legal fees, but I had to do it the hard way." It's quite difficult to argue that they shouldn't have to experience it as well. That is really difficult to say.

"The funny thing, maybe the sad thing, is he didn't give himself a pardon," Trump continued.