Why Is Donald Trump 'Very Appreciative' Of Joe Biden?

The relationship between President Joe Biden and Donald Trump is, sufficed to say, a complicated one. For his own personal reasons, Trump skipped out on Biden's inauguration celebration back in January, has often criticized the Biden administration for its handling of such hot topics, like rising gas prices and inflation, and so much more. During a gathering of conservative figures in Orlando back in February, Trump put it this way, per CNBC, "We all knew that the Biden administration was going to be bad — but none of us even imagined just how bad they would be, and how far left they would go." He added, "In just one short month we have gone from America first to America last."

If that weren't enough, Trump has seemingly dropped one hint after another that he's looking to take Biden on again for the upcoming 2024 election. And although no official announcement has been made just yet, Biden managed to stop Trump in his tracks (if just for a moment) by dolling out this rare compliment.

President Joe Biden did something that he often doesn't do — giving Donald Trump's administration credit for a job well done. In this case, he thanked the previous admin for the development and speed of the COVID-19 vaccine. During a December 21 speech from the White House, Biden said that he had just gotten his COVID-19 booster shot and mentioned that Trump had recently done the same, even if it was to the dismay of some of his supporters. 

In his praise, Biden said, "Let me be clear. Thanks to the prior administration and our scientific community, America was one of the first countries to get the vaccine. Thanks to my administration and the hard work of Americans, we led a roll out, made America among the world leaders in getting shots in arms." Trump's reaction to Biden's complimentary words was just as surprising. Soon after Biden made his speech, Trump shared his reaction with Fox News, saying, "I'm very appreciative of that — I was surprised to hear it. I think it was a terrific thing, and I think it makes a lot of people happy." He continued, "I think he did something very good. You know, it has to be a process of healing in this country, and that will help a lot."

Of course, it's unlikely Trump and Biden will keep this friendliness going, but stranger things have happened.