The silence speaks volumes.
Newly released audio from former President Joe Biden’s October 2023 interviews with special counsel Robert Hur reveals what written transcripts never could — a wavering voice, long pauses, and moments of confusion that raise fresh concerns about his mental acuity in the final year of his presidency.
Obtained by Axios, the recordings span two intense sessions, each lasting three hours, during which Biden was pressed on his handling of classified documents. Now, those recordings are sparking renewed scrutiny — and a deeper, more personal glimpse into a president under pressure.
In some of the most unsettling moments, former President Biden appeared visibly disoriented — struggling to remember the year his son Beau died, when he left the vice presidency, and even when Donald Trump was first elected.
The recordings are punctuated by long silences, slurred words, and fragmented thoughts. Time and again, his attorneys interjected, guiding him through key milestones — including Beau’s death in 2015 and the pivotal 2016 election.
What the transcripts failed to convey, the audio laid bare — a frail voice, long silences, and moments of visible confusion, all underscored by the steady ticking of a grandfather clock in the White House’s historic Map Room.
The public response was immediate and intense. “Oh my God. Hearing the unfiltered version of the president is not just heartbreaking — it’s chilling,” one commenter wrote. “Everyone who allowed this man to remain in office should be held accountable.”
Another reflected, “It’s deeply sad… like listening to someone searching desperately for memories that are slipping away.” A third user summed it up starkly: “A transcript couldn’t begin to capture the trainwreck this truly was.”
“No wonder they tried to hide this. It’s both insane and deeply sad,” one user remarked. Another simply called it what many were thinking: “This is horrifying.”
While outrage was widespread, some commenters shifted the blame away from Biden himself and toward those who continued to support him in office.
One self-identified Republican voiced unexpected sympathy, arguing that expecting Biden to carry the weight of the presidency in the midst of visible cognitive decline was akin to “asking someone without legs to walk.”
The real responsibility, they claimed, lay with those closest to him — Democratic leaders, sympathetic media outlets, and even his own family — for failing to step in and urge him to step aside.
Others took a harsher stance, zeroing in on the broader implications of what the audio exposed. “It’s painfully obvious he can’t follow a coherent train of thought or respond to even the most basic questions,” one commenter wrote. The idea that Biden was being positioned for another four years in the Oval Office, they added, felt less like political strategy and more like a betrayal of the American people.
The release of the audio comes on the heels of Original Sin, a newly published book by Axios’ Alex Thompson and CNN’s Jake Tapper. The book reportedly sheds light on behind-the-scenes efforts by Democratic insiders and major media outlets to downplay or conceal concerns about Biden’s cognitive decline — even as he launched a campaign for a second term at the age of 81.
At one point in the recording, Biden drifted into a recollection from his Senate days, revealing that then-President Barack Obama had once urged him not to run for the presidency. According to Biden, Obama believed Hillary Clinton “had a better shot” at winning the White House. The offhand remark, buried within the halting dialogue, added yet another layer of political tension to an already sensitive and controversial audio release.
Throughout the interviews concerning his handling of classified documents, Biden’s prolonged pauses and repeated memory lapses played a central role in Special Counsel Robert Hur’s final assessment. Hur concluded that Biden would likely appear to a jury as “a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” — a perception that heavily influenced the decision not to pursue criminal charges, despite clear evidence of improper retention.
The decision ignited a firestorm among Republicans, who pointed to the contrast with former President Trump’s ongoing prosecution in a separate classified documents case, calling the disparity a glaring example of unequal treatment under the law.
Amid the escalating controversy, House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer announced that the panel will press forward with its investigation into what he alleges is a coordinated effort to hide President Biden’s cognitive decline from the public.
Comer stated that the Committee will renew its focus on top White House aides Annie Tomasini, Anthony Bernal, and Ashley Williams — all previously subpoenaed for allegedly acting as gatekeepers, shielding Biden from scrutiny and controlling his public exposure.
The Committee is also seeking testimony from President Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, after previously requesting a transcribed interview during the last Congress. In addition, Chairman Comer confirmed that the panel has issued a subpoena for the full audio recordings from Special Counsel Robert Hur’s classified documents investigation.
However, Attorney General Merrick Garland has refused to comply with the subpoena, fueling further outrage among Republicans, who accuse the Biden administration of stonewalling and obstructing legitimate congressional oversight.
As the investigation gathers fresh momentum, former President Donald Trump weighed in with a blistering response on Truth Social. In a post shared on May 17, Trump took aim at what he called “a bigger and bigger scandal by the moment” — focusing specifically on the alleged misuse of the autopen, a mechanical device that replicates a person’s signature without their direct involvement.
Trump argued that the autopen wasn’t just a procedural tool, but part of a broader cover-up — one that, in his view, concealed Biden’s cognitive decline and tainted the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election.
Trump portrayed the unfolding situation as yet another chapter in what he described as a long-running conspiracy — alleging that the same figures who “stole” the 2020 election were now being unmasked. He linked the autopen controversy to broader accusations against the January 6 Select Committee, claiming its members destroyed evidence and engaged in a cover-up to protect themselves and the administration.
Without providing evidence, Trump further asserted that the autopen was connected to illegal pardons, a weaponized justice system, and an orchestrated effort to silence both him and his supporters ahead of the 2024 election.
Returning to familiar targets, Trump took aim at former FBI Director James Comey, former President Barack Obama, and President Biden — whom he described as “hapless and cognitively impaired.” He once again alleged that his 2016 campaign had been spied on and doubled down on his longstanding claim: “THE 2020 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION WAS RIGGED!”
He closed his fiery post with a defiant message to his supporters: “THE FIGHT HAS JUST BEGUN!!!”