By Jane Lewis | Saturday January 24, 2026 | 4 min read
Donald Trump’s feud with Joe Biden isn’t just another political rivalry—or a jab at Biden’s use of the Autopen. It’s a window into how he sees and wields power. Every attack, every public outburst, is less about policy and more about ego. He lashes out not only at Biden but at anyone who refuses to bow to his will, turning personal slights into matters of national consequence. For Trump, the presidency isn’t a public trust—it’s a stage for self-validation. And when the rules don’t suit him, he has little hesitation in bending or breaking them, at home or abroad, just to protect his pride.
This isn’t a new pattern. Trump still uses the levers of government to serve his own agenda—sending federal troops to cities he dislikes, bending the Treasury to his will, and reshaping agencies to reinforce his authority. ICE became a tool of fear on American streets. Even the arts and culture were drawn into his orbit, as seen when the Kennedy Center was rebranded in his image.
Trump has turned institutions meant to be independent—from the Department of Justice to federal regulators—into tools for his own agenda. The presidency has become his personal stage, where every interaction—with allies, opponents, foreign leaders, even central bankers—is a battle to assert dominance. That’s not governing; it’s performance. It’s the exact opposite of what Joe Biden stands for: a commitment to norms, respect for institutions, and a presidency that serves the country instead of a single ego.
Understanding this mindset helps explain Trump’s obsessive focus on Biden. To him, the presidency isn’t a shared responsibility—it’s almost autocratic. He operates as if a new president should be able to erase investigations, shield allies, and neutralize rivals at will. This isn’t hypothetical; it’s the logic behind his attempts to block legal scrutiny, issue pardons before cases fully unfolded, and pressure officials to bend or ignore the rules. In Trump’s view, Biden should have stopped ongoing investigations against him, dismissed two impeachments, and even intervened in cases like the Stormy Daniels hush-money investigation in New York.
When none of this happens, Trump interprets it not as the function of an independent judiciary or a functioning system of checks and balances, but as a personal attack. Every refusal, every assertion of independence, becomes evidence that he is being wronged, cheated, or persecuted. For him, institutions exist to serve his ego, not to enforce law, policy, or democratic norms.
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And yet, the media continues to treat this feud as if it were a standard political clash over ideas or policy. Headlines parse Trump’s tweets, mock Biden’s use of the Autopen, track polling shifts, and dramatize every jab—often presenting them as serious developments rather than carefully staged performances. In focusing on these spectacles, the press misses the deeper story: this isn’t just a rivalry; it’s about power, personal grievance, and a troubling disregard for the office of the presidency. The feud is merely a symptom. The real danger lies in the erosion of norms, the weaponization of government institutions, and a relentless drive to place self-interest above the public good.
Trump’s fixation on Biden is therefore less about the 2020 election than it is about his inability to accept limits on power. He cannot abide a system where investigations continue, decisions are made independently, and accountability exists. And as long as the media covers this feud as though it is another political spat, it will continue to amplify a performance that is dangerous precisely because it masks the stakes: our institutions, our norms, and our democracy itself.
To report responsibly on Trump and Biden, journalists need to stop framing the conflict as a continuation of 2020—or a jab at Biden’s use of the Autopen and start framing it for what it truly is—a clash between unchecked ambition and the rule of law. The feud may be loud, messy, and entertaining, but ignoring its real implications risks normalizing the very behavior that threatens the foundations of American democracy.