Biden's 2020 Tweet Calling Trump 'Worst President Ever' Goes Viral Again as Iran War Rages

In September 2020, Joe Biden posted six words on X that are now doing more political damage than any campaign ad.

'Donald Trump is the worst president we've ever had,' he wrote from his official account.

The post has exploded back into public view this week as the US-Iran war enters its third week, gas prices surge to levels not seen since late 2023, and fresh polling shows a majority of Americans turning against Trump's handling of the economy and the conflict.

The Old Post Finds a New Audience

The tweet, originally posted on 30 September 2020 while Biden was still a presidential candidate, had already gathered millions of impressions during the 2020 race. But as Operation Epic Fury grinds on past day 17, users on X have turned it into a rallying point.

One user quoted the post and wrote, 'I mean, he wasn't wrong then. And he's not wrong now.' Another added, 'It's not even debatable.'

Not all responses were supportive of Biden. One user pushed back sharply, writing, 'True, but you didn't do anything about it when you had the chance. We should have elected the woman each time.'

War Costs Pile Up at the Pump

The viral moment didn't happen in a vacuum. The average US gas price has climbed to just under $3.72 (£2.80) a gallon, the highest since October 2023, according to the motoring group AAA. That's a jump of roughly 80 cents in a single month. Crude oil briefly topped $100 (£75.14) a barrel last week after US strikes hit Iran's Kharg Island, and it has hovered around that mark since.

The 26.9% monthly spike in gas prices is the largest since Hurricane Katrina. It threatens one of Trump's most prominent talking points from his second term, that fuel costs fell below $3 (£2.25) a gallon as recently as December 2025. Trump dismissed the rise in a Truth Social post, calling it 'a very small price to pay for USA, and World, Safety and Peace.'

Polling Shows a Public Turning Sour

A Quinnipiac University poll released on 9 March found that 53% of registered voters oppose US military action in Iran, with 60% of independents against it. Trump's approval rating on the economy has dropped to just 39%, with 58% disapproval, the worst score Quinnipiac has ever recorded for him on that question. His overall job approval stands at 37%.

The numbers come as seven US service members have died in the conflict, and 77% of voters say they believe a terrorist attack on US soil is now likely as a result of the military action. Just 20% of voters support sending ground troops to Iran, a position that crosses party lines, with even 52% of Republicans opposed.

Biden's Own Complicated Legacy

The irony of the tweet's resurgence isn't lost on political observers. Biden left office in January 2025 with low approval ratings of his own, dogged by concerns over his age and a late exit from the 2024 race that left Vice President Kamala Harris just 108 days to mount a general election campaign.

But a year into Trump's second term, Biden has re-emerged with sharper language. Speaking at a South Carolina Democratic Party event on 27 February, he told the audience that Trump 'clearly represents the worst of us.' Behind closed doors, however, the 83-year-old former president has struck a different tone. Multiple people who've spoken with Biden in recent months told CNN he often asks, 'You think we can actually come back from this?'

That gap between Biden's public defiance and private doubt mirrors the broader mood of a country watching war costs grow and fuel prices climb, searching for someone to blame and finding no shortage of candidates.