A month into his presidency, Joe Biden made it clear he didn't like to even name the man he ousted from the Oval Office, saying, "I'm tired of talking about Trump," AP reported.

But now Biden is willingly naming and singling out the former 'former guy' in prepared speeches and on social media, praising Donald Trump in a way that Biden and White House aides didn't do during the first 18 months of his term.

Biden's Twitter repeats these words, which catches the eye of the White House, which is trying to exclude any mention of the former president and, in particular, his name.

And when Biden came out of isolation after suffering from COVID-19, he noted that he could continue to work at the White House residence, while Trump had to be taken to the hospital by plane for treatment, at a time when vaccines were not available, and the then the president was nonchalant about mitigation measures.

For some Democrats, Biden's willingness to make direct contact with Trump was belated.

“It’s like Lord Voldemort, right? You gotta say his name and show that you’re not afraid of him,” said Rep. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y. “It’s good to see that the president is naming Donald Trump, as we all should.”

Biden is taking a tougher stance amid a flood of revelations about Trump and his handling during the January 6, 2021 Capitol riots, and growing speculation that the Republican will start his campaign this fall.

Despite Biden's falling approval ratings, even among members of his own party, he still consolidates the vast majority of Democratic voters when presented as the party's choice against Trump in a hypothetical 2024 campaign.

Biden's first serious attempt to hit Trump came on January 6, 2022, when he delivered a speech commemorating the one-year anniversary of the riots. Biden denounced his predecessor for holding a dagger to the throat of democracy by spreading the many-debunked lie that Trump didn't lose in 2020.

But even then, Biden refused to name Trump by name, raising questions about why.

Other Democrats say Biden, who has been campaigning to unify a country riven by partisan divisions, was right to divert attention from Trump as Democrats regained control of Washington for the first time in a decade and were about to embark on an ambitious agenda and move away from chaotic years of the Trump administration.

Last week, Biden left no doubt that he was ready - perhaps even eager - to challenge Trump directly, something he had not done before.

Biden's new, more confrontational stance is another way the White House is trying to draw a clearer contrast with Republicans ahead of the November election, while Democrats are experiencing the traditional hardships faced by the incumbent party and facing voter discontent over inflation and the general direction of the country's development.

Republicans are skeptical that the strategy will work, even as Trump is leaning towards formally announcing his candidacy in the 2024 election before the fall vote. They also fear that his candidacy could divert attention from efforts to turn the election into a referendum on Democratic governance of Washington.