Newly released audio of former President Joe Biden's 2023 interviews with special counsel Robert Hur and co-counsel Marc Krickbaum has confirmed memory lapses that were previously denied by White House officials.
The audio, obtained by Axios, shows Biden struggling to recall key dates and events, including the year his son Beau died and when he left office as vice president. This has fueled criticism that the media and Democrat leadership may have downplayed or hidden Biden's cognitive decline during his presidency and 2024 re-election campaign.
The audio recordings from the 2023 interviews reveals Biden's significant memory issues. These lapses were previously denied by White House officials.
Even after the transcript of the interview was released, Biden's aides and White House officials, including then-White House spokesman Ian Sams, insisted that the president did not forget the year his son died. The audio, however, shows that Biden struggled to remember the year and had to be prompted by his lawyers.
The audio and subsequent reports have raised questions about whether there was a concerted effort to cover up Biden's diminished mental capacity, to help the Democrat Party in the 2024 elections.
Far-left media talking heads like CNN's Jake Tapper and Democrat leadership have faced criticism for helping to coverup for Biden and hiding information about his health, including his cognitive decline and medical conditions.
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance are demanding greater transparency and accountability. They pointed out that the left-wing media and Democrat leadership have engaged in a cover-up to protect Biden's image and political prospects.
Democrats and Biden's legal team have pushed back on the criticism, arguing that the memory lapses observed in the interviews are common and do not indicate a significant cognitive decline. They also emphasize Biden's cooperation with the investigation and his overall mental acuity.
The release of the audio recordings from the 2023 special counsel interviews has reignited debates about the transparency of the media and the legality of official documents including executive orders, pardons and laws signed by Biden which have been revealed to be done with an autopen - a device that mechanically replicates a person's signature using a real pen, allowing public figures like presidents to sign documents without physically doing so.
The Oversight Project, part of the Heritage Foundation, claimed that most of Biden’s signatures on official documents were identical autopen signatures, except for his 2024 campaign withdrawal letter, raising questions about his awareness of the documents he authorized.
Trump, has argued that Biden’s use of an autopen for pardons—such as those for the Jan. 6 committee members, Dr. Anthony Fauci, and Gen. Mark Milley—invalidates them. Missouri Attorney General Andrew Bailey, have claimed that autopen use suggests the former president’s cognitive decline allowed staff to push policies without his approval.
Commenting on the latest revelations, Trump wrote on social media Tuesday, "Joe Biden was not for Open Borders, he never talked about Open Borders, where criminals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, can flow into our Country at will. It wasn’t his idea to Open the Border, and almost destroy our Country, and cost us Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to get criminals out of our Country, and go through the process we are going through now.
"It was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen. They stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger. This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country. The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record. Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our Country, but couldn’t, because I came along. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Biden was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer on Friday, according to a statement released by his office Sunday. The cancer is characterized by a Gleason score of 9 (Grade Group 5) and metastasis to the bone, classifying it as Stage 4.
The diagnosis followed urinary symptoms and the discovery of a prostate nodule during a medical evaluation the previous week. Biden's office noted that the cancer is hormone-sensitive, suggesting effective management through treatments like hormone therapy, which may include testosterone-blocking medications such as Lupron, possibly combined with other hormonal therapies or chemotherapy. Bone-targeted treatments are also likely due to the metastasis.
Medical experts have raised questions about why the cancer was not detected earlier, particularly given Biden’s access to top-tier medical care during his presidency (2021–2025). Dr. David Shusterman, a urologist, suggested that such advanced metastatic cancer typically develops over years, implying it might have been detected earlier during Biden’s term.
Despite the severity, experts like Dr. Daniel W. Lin and Dr. Judd Moul noted that recent advances in prostate cancer treatment, driven by research from initiatives like Biden’s Cancer Moonshot, mean patients with metastatic disease can live 5–10 years or more with a good quality of life, though the cancer is not curable once it has spread to the bones. Biden and his family are reviewing treatment options, with potential approaches including hormone therapy, chemotherapy, radiation, or clinical trials.
"Melania and I are saddened to hear about Joe Biden’s recent medical diagnosis. We extend our warmest and best wishes to Jill and the family, and we wish Joe a fast and successful recovery," Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday.
