Donald Trump Called Out for Saying the 'Same Things' as Joe Biden During SOTU Address

President Donald Trump leaned heavily on the economy during his first State of the Union address of his second term.

As he tried to reassure Americans that the country is thriving, critics quickly noticed his message sounded strikingly familiar.

While pitching his economic record to the nation, Trump insisted, "Inflation is plummeting," and told viewers, "Incomes are rising fast."

The remarks immediately raised eyebrows, as Joe Biden used nearly identical language in his own final State of the Union address two years earlier, saying, "Inflation keeps coming down," and "Wages keep going up."

Both presidents also pointed the finger at one another for the country's financial struggles. Trump claimed, "I had just inherited a nation in crisis with a stagnant economy."

Biden previously said, "I inherited an economy that was on the brink."

Each leader went a step further by framing the United States as an economic powerhouse on the global stage.

In 2024, Biden declared, "Now our economy is literally the envy of the world."

On Tuesday, February 24, Trump similarly boasted, "Now we are the hottest country anywhere in the world."

Despite Trump's long history of attacking his predecessor, he mentioned Biden multiple times throughout the address.

Former Biden administration officials quickly took note of the similarities.

Kate Berner, who served as a White House communications adviser under Biden, told The New York Times, "I would be lying if I didn't say fellow alums didn't laugh when Trump says the same things that used to come out of our White House."

She added, "He is telling people to ignore their lived experience and that economic indicators and what the elites are saying should overpower what they feel or see. Trump would slam us for saying it, and now he's doing the exact same thing."

Bharat Ramamurti, who worked as deputy director of the National Economic Council during the Biden administration, said Trump may be stepping into the same political trap.

"It is like quicksand," he explained. "It feels like the more you struggle and say 'No, it's really good!' the more you get sucked in... I wish I knew the answer to get out of it. But I don't."

Not everyone agreed with the comparisons.

In a statement to The Daily Beast, White House spokesperson Kush Desai pushed back, saying, "Anyone seriously comparing President Trump's inspiring speech that discussed how this Administration has flipped the script on the preceding four-year disaster to Joe Biden's naptime sessions is a fool."