Joe Biden Has Turned Into Donald Trump

President Joe Biden's recent actions are being compared to those of Donald Trump by political analysts and commentators.

The incumbent Democratic president and Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, are set to face each other in November for a rematch of the 2020 election, which is expected to be a tight race.

On June 27, the candidates met in Atlanta for the first presidential debate of this election cycle. Following his poor performance, Biden has faced calls to step down as his party's candidate. However, the president has remained defiant, refusing to drop out of the race.

Now, political commentators are drawing parallels between Biden's defiance and Trump's behavior. Speaking to Newsweek, Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science and the director of the Centre on U.S. Politics at University College London, said, "Biden is absolutely taking a page out of the playbook of Trump."

He added, "Increasingly, one could argue that his public statements have been giving off an air of entitlement and even selfishness."

Newsweek contacted Biden's campaign for comment by email.

Calling Into TV Shows

On Monday, Biden called into the MSNBC talk show Morning Joe to defend his record.

"The bottom line here is that we're not going anywhere. I am not going anywhere," Biden told hosts Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, again defying suggestions that he drop out of the presidential race.

Trump often calls into Fox News to make political points. On Monday, he called Sean Hannity's show and criticized Biden's debate performance.

"He looked extremely pale, to put it nicely," Trump said, adding, "Maybe it was a good makeup job or maybe it wasn't, but he was a very pale-looking man."

Using 'Angry' Language

Political commentators have suggested Biden is using "angry" language while campaigning, a charge often leveled against Trump.

On X, formerly Twitter, Jon Favreau, who served as the director of speechwriting under President Barack Obama, commented on Biden's Morning Joe appearance.

"Message absolutely sucks," he wrote, "angry, defensive, lashing out at all the wrong people."

The X account @RNCResearch—which is managed by the Republican National Committee, the GOP's governing body—also described Biden as "angry" in his response to Brzezinski's question about age-related illnesses.

Trump is often accused of making "angry" speeches when challenged.

Calling on Party Members to Toe the Line

On Monday, Biden issued a letter to Hill Democrats saying he would not stand down from the presidential race and called on his colleagues to support him.

"The voters of the Democratic Party have voted. They have chosen me to be the nominee of the party," he wrote.

"We have 42 days to the Democratic Convention and 119 days to the general election," Biden added. "Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us. It is time to come together, move forward as a unified party, and defeat Donald Trump."

Trump, too, often calls on dissenting Republicans to support him.

Writing on X, political commentator Josh Barro wrote in response to the letter: "It's an outrage. Pointing a gun at the head of the party and threatening to shoot if you don't get your way is Trump behavior."

On July 5, Biden wrote on X: "Let me say this as clearly as I can: I'm the sitting President of the United States. I'm the nominee of the Democratic party. I'm staying in the race."

Gift told Newsweek of the post, "His rhetoric seems to distill down to a simple message: I, I, I, me, me, me."

Attacking 'Elites'

During his Morning Joe appearance, Biden attacked Democratic "elites" who have called for him to drop out of the race.

"I'm getting so frustrated by the elites—now, I'm not talking about you guys—but about the elites in the party. 'Oh, they know so much more.' Any of these guys that don't think I should run, run against me. Announce for president, challenge me at the convention," Biden said.

Likewise, Trump frequently others his critics, referring to them as part of "the swamp" or "the deep state."

Gift said: "It's particularly ironic that Biden is now attacking Democratic elites, given that those same elites are largely the ones who have backed him for the last three and a half years. He wouldn't be where he is without the Democratic 'establishment.'

"For a president who says he wants to improve civility in public discourse, Biden certainly seems more comfortable bullying those who are dissenting against his candidacy right now."

On the news website Semafor, journalist Benjy Sarlin wrote: "A presidential candidate rallying supporters to stop party 'elites' from trying to oust him is a familiar scene—if you've followed Donald Trump's career."

Anita Chabria, a columnist at the Los Angeles Times, wrote: "It's a page out of the Trump 2016 playbook, effective because it makes him seem comfortingly confident and less almost-dead."

Not everyone agrees that Biden is aping Trump's tactics. Thomas Whalen, an associate professor who teaches U.S. politics at Boston University, told Newsweek: "Until Biden has actually encouraged and engaged an insurrection against his own government and has openly speculated about becoming a dictator, I'd hold off on the Trump comparisons. Frankly, the president is coming off more like a modern day King Lear raging against the fates."