Former US President Joe Biden launched a sweeping attack on President Donald Trump, during a gala event at the weekend – labelling his successor “a loser” on account of his “vanity projects” in Washington DC.

At a Democratic Party fundraiser on Saturday, Biden attacked Trump’s plans to construct a ballroom and the approach he has taken to renovate the city’s Reflecting Pool.

The BBC has contacted the White House for a response to Biden’s remarks.

Trump has repeatedly criticised Biden’s track record while in office, and his opponent has responded in kind. But Biden’s 10-minute remarks at Saturday’s event in Hanover, Maryland, amounted to one of his bluntest critiques yet.

“It’s not just his vanity projects, tearing down the East Wing of the White House making room for his ballroom, putting his name on the Kennedy Center, building an arch in his own honour, even hiring his own pool guy to fix the Reflecting Pool,” Biden said.

“Woah! What a loser,” he added.

Biden was making reference to Trump’s effort to get his name added to the front of the John F Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts – which a court has since ordered to be removed.

Regarding the ballroom, Trump has defended his $400m (£300m) efforts to demolish parts of the East Wing and build the new facility – saying it is necessary for national security and to host state guests.

The US president also spent $14.7m to re-colour and restore the Lincoln Memorial Reflecting Pool. The effort sparked its own controversy after the pool subsequently became plagued with algae growth and other issues – for which Trump and the US National Parks Service have blamed vandalism.

Biden was also quoted by US media criticising Trump’s defence of his supporters who stormed the US Capitol building in 2021.

He said: “What makes me angry is that Trump wants to give taxpayers’ money, your money, to the January 6th insurrectionists.”

His comments appeared to refer to the Trump administration’s recent attempt to compensate individuals who claim they were unfairly targeted or investigated by the government – which was later dropped and blocked by a judge.

Trump has not directly responded to Biden’s comments, but dubbed him a “crooked politician” in a post on his Truth Social platform last month. He also applied his “sleepy Joe Biden” nickname to his rival in a post about an unrelated topic on Monday.

Biden’s remarks came exactly two years after a disastrous debate performance against Trump ahead of the 2024 presidential election, which would change the course of his candidacy.

Prominent members of the Democratic Party called on Biden to drop out after his performance, leading Vice-President Kamala Harris to replace him in a race that she ultimately lost to Trump.