Trump says Biden used to claim he was a pilot and a truck driver during speech to troops in Japan
Trump to troops: "Biden used to say he was a pilot. He was a pilot, he was a truck driver, whatever, whoever walked in. He wasn't a pilot. He wasn't much of a president either to be honest with you. That I can tell you. That we all know." pic.twitter.com/8xGiWQf9Vd
— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) October 28, 2025
YOKOSUKA, JAPAN: Even while addressing the US troops stationed in Japan, President Donald Trump couldn't help but take swipes at former President Joe Biden.
While discussing military aviation, Trump accused Biden of falsely claiming to be a pilot and a truck driver, which was met with laughter from the crowd.
Trump brings up Biden's apparent claims during speech
"Biden used to say he was a pilot. He was a pilot, he was a truck driver whatever, whoever walked in. He wasn't a pilot. He wasn't much of a president, either, to be honest with you. That I can tell you. That we all know," Trump said while addressing the troops at Japan’s Yokosuka naval base as part of his Asia tour.
The Republican leader made his speech aboard USS George Washington, which is the US Navy’s only permanently forward-deployed aircraft carrier, and was met with laughter from the crowd when he mentioned Biden’s claims.
Biden's past claims about driving a truck
Although there is no record of Biden claiming to be a pilot, in 2021, he claimed during a tour of a Mack Trucks facility, “I used to drive an 18-wheeler, man,” then added, “I got to.”
At a separate 2021 event, he told college students studying truck technology, “I used to drive a tractor-trailer,” adding, “I only did it for part of a summer, but I got my license anyway.”
Biden’s claims were fact-checked at the time as false.
When CNN inquired about the claim that year, the White House noted that Biden once had a part-time job driving a school bus (which is not an 18-wheeler or a tractor-trailer) and that, as a US senator in 1973, he spent a night riding in a cargo truck (not driving it).
Trump’s reference to the pilot claim might be about Biden’s dramatic account of the death of his uncle in a World War II plane crash. He said the plane was shot down and suggested his uncle’s body was consumed by cannibals.
However, the claim is at odds with the Defense Department’s account of the 1944 incident, as reported by CNN.
Trump's visit highlights the US-Japan military alliance
Trump’s visit has drawn attention to the US-Japan military alliance rooted in a 1960 treaty allowing an American military presence in the country. Japan hosts nearly 60000 US personnel across all service branches, which is the largest American troop deployment in the world.
The United States Forces, Japan (USFJ), which has its HQ at Yokota Air Base near Tokyo, operates from 14 bases nationwide, with the largest concentration in Okinawa. The Japanese Self-Defense Forces regularly conduct joint exercises with the US.
