An 83-year-old former president walked into a casino near Baltimore this weekend, attacked the sitting president's wealth, called him a loser, and then needed help getting off the stage. The event was the Maryland Democratic Party's "Fight Back and Win" summit, held at the Live Casino and Hotel.
Joe Biden took the podium at the gala and delivered a rambling series of attacks on President Trump, telling the crowd the economy was "a hell of a lot better than under Trump" and accusing Trump of "tearing down the East Wing to make room for his ballroom" and "putting his name on the Kennedy Center." He called Trump's personal finances "simply stunning to me" and added that "he has no shame." Then, for good measure: "Woah, what a loser."
The crowd wasn't entirely buying it. Biden was heckled during the speech — at a Democrat fundraiser, by Democrats. The details of what the hecklers said aren't fully clear, but the fact that they felt comfortable interrupting a former president at his own party's event tells you everything about where Biden's standing is, even among the faithful.
This wasn't Biden's first rough public outing in recent weeks. At the Obama presidential library opening in Chicago, Biden was caught on camera shouting "Where's my granddaughter?" — a moment that went viral for all the wrong reasons. Before that, the infamous 2024 debate performance effectively ended his reelection campaign. And who can forget the G7 summit in Italy where world leaders had to redirect him on camera.
The stumble off the stage is what sealed the visual. Biden finished his remarks, turned, and visibly struggled with the exit — the kind of moment his team has spent two years trying to prevent and failing. Jill Biden was nearby, as she usually is at these appearances.
Here's what's worth noticing about the speech itself: Biden attacked Trump for being wealthy, for renovating the White House, for putting his name on buildings. Not for policy. Not for legislation. Not for anything that affects the people sitting in that casino ballroom. The entire address was personal grievance dressed up as political commentary.
The Maryland Democratic Party called their summit "Fight Back and Win." They invited a man who lost his own reelection bid without ever making it to Election Day, who gets heckled by his own voters, and who can't reliably navigate a stage.
When that's your fight-back strategy, winning looks like someone else's problem.