Biden calls Trump a 'loser' at rare public appearance as DC's algae-plagued Reflecting Pool becomes a symbol

Financial Times—Joe Biden, 82, called Trump a 'corrupt, narcissistic loser' at a Maryland Democratic Party gala in one of his rare public appearances since leaving office, specifically mocking the algae-covered National Mall Reflecting Pool and Trump's DC construction ambitions. The Reflecting Pool has become an emblem of a wider problem: cost overruns and delays across multiple federal construction projects. Activists held a protest at the Reflecting Pool, speaking on behalf of the algae. Biden cited the East Wing demolition as another 'vanity project' and said Trump 'has no shame' and is embarrassing the country.

• Financial Times — FT traces construction delays and cost overruns at the Reflecting Pool saga
• HuffPost — Biden made remarks at a Maryland Democratic Party gala in a rare public appearance
• USA Today — Biden specifically targeted the arch construction alongside the Reflecting Pool as 'embarrassing'
• Washington Post — Algae contamination extends well beyond the Reflecting Pool to broader DC project failures
• The Telegraph — Biden called Trump 'corrupt, narcissistic' — not just a loser
• HuffPost — Politics — Biden: Trump's corruption is 'on a scale never seen before in any administration'
• Salon — Biden: Trump 'has no shame' and is 'embarrassing' the country with DC projects
• The Daily Beast — Biden, 82, spoke at Maryland Dem gala in a rare public outing since leaving White House
• The Hill — Biden also cited East Wing demolition as another of Trump's vanity projects
• Forbes — Biden framed the Reflecting Pool as one of several DC 'vanity projects'
• Washington Post — Activists held protests at the Reflecting Pool, speaking on behalf of the algae