Fact check: Biden 'kidding' when he described Trump as a 'future president'

Chris Mueller, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Post implies Biden declared Trump would be the 'future president'

A March 9 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) suggests President Joe Biden believes former President Donald Trump will occupy the White House again someday.

"Joe Biden Just (said) Something We Can Agree With," reads the post. "He Just Called Trump The 'Future President.'"

Some commenters appeared to take Biden's comment seriously.

"At least he knows and understands his days are numbered," reads one comment. "His five minutes of daily clarity made public, out of his own mouth."

The post was shared more than 400 times in six days.

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Our rating: Missing context

The implied claim is wrong. Biden jokingly described Trump as the "maybe future president" at a recent event but immediately indicated he was "kidding" and criticized one of Trump's decisions as president.

Biden told crowd he was 'kidding' after Trump comment

Biden referred to Trump as "the former president and maybe future president" while speaking about his budget proposal at a March 9 appearance in Philadelphia.

But, when put in context, Biden's comment clearly wasn't serious.

"But guess what? You may remember – I was running for office at the time, but you all might remember that the – I had a big fight with the former president and maybe future president – bless me, Father," Biden said, making the sign of the cross on himself. "Anyway. No, all – all kidding aside."

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Biden was talking about the Paycheck Protection Program, which gave loans to small businesses to help them stay afloat during the pandemic. He went on to criticize Trump's decision to remove officials responsible for overseeing the $2 trillion stimulus deal intended to mitigate economic damage caused by the pandemic.

After months of speculation about his future, Trump announced in November he would again run for president in 2024.

President Joe Biden speaks about his 2024 budget proposal at the Finishing Trades Institute, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) ORG XMIT: PAEV423
President Joe Biden speaks about his 2024 budget proposal at the Finishing Trades Institute, Thursday, March 9, 2023, in Philadelphia. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci) ORG XMIT: PAEV423

Biden, meanwhile, has yet to formally announce a reelection bid. He said he is "inclined" to seek another term as president but also insists he hasn't made a final decision.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment.

The Associated Press also debunked the claim.

Our fact-check sources:

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Fact check: Biden 'kidding' when he called Trump a 'future president'