Key Background
The release of the recordings revitalizes criticisms and concerns about Biden’s mental acuity and his handling of classified documents, all of which dominated headlines during his run in the 2024 presidential election. The former president had a series of public gaffes during White House appearances and his debate against President Donald Trump in 2024 in which he corrected himself repeatedly. Hur, following his investigation into Biden’s alleged mishandling of classified documents, released a lengthy report in February 2024 that concluded no criminal charges were warranted against Biden. Hur noted Biden’s “memory was significantly limited” during interviews and that in the case of a trial, the former president would present himself as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”
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Biden On Why He Did Not Run For President In 2016
The recordings also revealed Biden’s explanation for why he did not run for president in 2016, saying he and his allies had concerns he did not have a good shot at securing the nomination, which was won by Hillary Clinton. “The fact is that he didn’t think it was doable at that time, that I could, that I could actually go out and get the nomination,” Biden said about Obama. “That was my read at the time.”
Biden Addresses His Verbal Gaffes
Biden noted his gaffes would be an obstacle if he ran for president in 2016, saying in one of the recordings the “Gaffe issue is like a virus. It’s dormant, when you make a mistake again they’ll bring it up.” Biden also said, “I can’t read my own writing” during the recording.
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Crucial Quote
“President Biden’s conversations for a book a decade ago that discussed his late son are private, and were provided to the Department of Justice on the express condition they stay that way,” Biden spokesperson TJ Ducklo told multiple outlets. “Reversing course and making them public is just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution.”
Chief Critic
“These tapes have so many pauses and ‘ums’ that it sounds like Biden is buffering like a dial-up Internet connection,” Mike Howell, president of the Heritage Foundation’s Oversight Project, said in a statement.