Trump says ‘I don’t have to rest’ while mocking Biden at Commander‑in‑Chief’s Trophy presentation

WASHINGTON, DC: President Donald Trump used his speech at the Commander‑in‑Chief’s Trophy presentation for the Navy Midshipmen football team on Friday, March 20, to once again criticize former President Joe Biden, highlighting concerns over his physical stability and leadership.

Trump has repeatedly mocked the former president’s well‑publicized falls and called him "incompetent," contrasting himself with Biden in anecdotes about stamina and leadership. 

Trump targets Biden while recounting 2018 Iraq visit

During his remarks, Trump recounted his 2018 visit to Iraq to meet American troops, using the moment to take a jab at Biden. He said, “I mean, this was something. So we land and he said, 'Sir, would you like to rest for a while before we have a meeting?' I said, 'I don't have to rest. My name is not Biden. I don't want to. I'm not resting.'”

Trump also mocked Biden during a rally in Kentucky in March, focusing on the many times he had stumbled publicly.

The Republican leader stated, “Biden couldn’t even walk up the stairs. He fell three times walking up this, and the world watches that, and they don’t like seeing it, although they actually do like seeing it because they say, ‘What the hell is going on?’ or when he fell at the Air Force Academy, right?”

He further added, “And the General was standing there, could have caught him, but he didn’t want to drop the paper that he’s holding in his hand. So Biden went down for the count.”

These comments followed Biden’s rare public address at a South Carolina Democratic Party event in February, where he accused Trump of attempting to influence the upcoming midterm elections. The Democrat said, “In America, the power still belongs to the people for now. And the way to show the power is vote, show up and vote."

He continued, "And folks, when we do that, that’s bad news for Donald Trump, and he knows it. That’s why he’s trying to pull out more and more barriers – put them up. He’s trying to steal the election because he knows he can’t win your vote, so he’s going to do everything he can to prevent you from wanting to vote.”

Trump presides over Commander‑in‑Chief’s Trophy presentation amid Iran operation

Trump presented the Commander‑in‑Chief’s Trophy to the Navy Midshipmen football team at a White House ceremony on Friday. The award is given annually to the team that wins the college football series among the Army, Navy, and Air Force academies.

In December, the US Navy secured its second consecutive victory with a 17-16 win over the Army. Trump attended the championship game last year alongside Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, Army Secretary Dan Driscoll, Navy Secretary John Phelan, and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen Dan Caine.

Trump, during the ceremony, praised Caine's leadership, saying, "Dan Caine is unbelievable and I picked him for a reason because I was told it would take five years to beat ISIS by our television generals. You know there's a big difference between generals just like there is between coaches and everything else."

The ceremony took place amid US' ongoing military operation in Iran alongside Israel. Speaking to reporters last week aboard Air Force One, Trump said he is "not ready to declare victory against Iran" despite asserting that the US has significantly weakened the country.

He added, “No, I’m not going to do that. There’s no reason to. I just say they’re decimated. I think that we’ve done damage to them. If we left right now, it would take them 10 years and more to rebuild but I’m still not declaring it.” 

At the trophy presentation, Trump began his speech by boasting that the US is doing "extremely well" in Iran.