According to The Independent, President Donald Trump used a cheat sheet during a White House event on Monday, the same kind of practice that Republicans strongly criticized when Joe Biden was president. Photos from the event show Trump holding a curled card in his left hand during a meeting in the Oval Office.
The meeting was held to honor Ryder Williams, a 16-year-old lifeguard from California, and Nathaniel Rai, a 10-year-old boy Williams had rescued from drowning at a Santa Cruz beach in July. Williams was given a certificate of commendation signed by Trump, and the White House called him a “young American hero.”
A close-up photo of the card showed it had photos of the two boys, listed as external participants, along with some background information about them. It also had Trump’s schedule for the meeting, including notes like “1:15 p.m. Photo Opportunity” and “1:30 p.m. POTUS concludes.”
Republicans criticized Biden for using similar notes in past years
Presidents commonly use notes prepared by their staff, and past presidents have done this too. But when Biden used similar cheat sheets, conservatives criticized him for it multiple times.
In March 2021, Biden was photographed at a news conference holding a cheat sheet that listed the names and news outlets of reporters he planned to call on. The document also had some factual talking points, including one that said China spends three times more on infrastructure than the United States, according to Newsweek.
Conservative podcaster Candace Owens reacted to this on X at the time, writing, “Joe Biden had a cheat sheet with the names and faces marked of which journalists to call on, and he knew EXACTLY what questions would be asked of him. That was not a press conference – that was a play put on by bad faith actors in a pseudo-democracy.”
Stephen Miller, who was a senior advisor to Trump at the time, also criticized Biden’s use of notes. He told Newsweek, “It was not very reassuring today that Biden relied so heavily on generic notes from staff to discuss the growing threat from China.”
Newsweek points out that Trump himself spoke about the same news conference in an interview with Fox News, where he called it “very sad” and “ridiculous.”
In 2022, Biden, who was 79 years old at the time, was seen with another staff-prepared cheat sheet. This one had specific directions written on it, including “YOU take YOUR seat,” “YOU give brief comments,” and “YOU depart.” These instructions led to more criticism from Republicans.
Fox News host Sean Hannity wrote on social media, “HOLY SHEET! Biden’s Presidential Cheat Sheet Leaks Online, Reminds Him to Sit Down.” Conservative commentator Benny Johnson also wrote on social media, “Next time someone tries to tell you Joe Biden isn’t a geriatric nursing home patient trapped in the White House, show them this. He needs a notecard with step by step directions telling him what to do, including ‘YOU take YOUR seat.'”
These moments, along with several others, led to ongoing questions about whether Biden was fit to serve as president. A poll by ABC News released in June 2024 found that 72 percent of Americans believed Biden lacked the mental sharpness needed to serve effectively as president. Biden later announced in the following month that he would not run for reelection, and he has since spoken publicly about that decision.
Since taking office again, Trump has also faced questions about his health and fitness for the role. This has included attention on frequent bruising seen on his hands, as well as him appearing drowsy at some official events, which has led to a network segment on Trump’s health drawing a sharp response from the White House.
A survey by ABC News-Washington Post-Ipsos in May found that 59 percent of people said Trump did not have the mental sharpness needed to lead the country.
Published: Aug 18, 2026 09:22 am