An extensive interview with Robert Huar, a former advisor to President Joe Biden, has revealed concerning lapses in Biden’s memory and challenges with focus. During an October 2023 conversation, Biden often drifted into lengthy anecdotes when pressed about how he handled classified documents.
The typically jovial 80-year-old president, known for making jokes and reminiscing, struggled to recall significant dates in his life, including the passing of his son, Beau, from brain cancer.
This audio, recently obtained by Axios after a prolonged wait of nearly 18 months due to Biden’s reluctance to release it, underscores Huar’s previous claims from 2022.
His tenuous grasp of facts, especially now at 82, became particularly clear when he stumbled over questions regarding where he kept documents from his time as vice president, which concluded in 2017 as he and his family moved into rental property in McLean, Virginia.
“Um… well, I don’t quite know. Was that 2017? Or maybe 2018?” he pondered.
“Yes, sir,” Huar affirmed.
Biden reflected on the tumultuous time, saying, “During this period, my son was either recovering or passing. And, you know, when I left the Senate, there were a lot of people encouraging me, but not the President. Others—like [Hillary Clinton]—they were seen as more viable candidates.”
Beau had served in Iraq from October 2008 to October 2009 and died on May 30, 2015. The reference to Hillary Clinton captures the time when Biden confirmed his decision to run for president in 2016, prior to April 12, 2015.
Huar remarked that Biden comes off as “a sympathetic, well-meaning person struggling with memory.”
“I wasn’t entirely opposed to the idea of running again, but if I do, I’d be running for president,” Biden added, before hesitating, “What month did Beau pass… oh, right, May 30…”
At this point, a White House lawyer and an unnamed male voice quickly interjected to clarify that 2015 was the year of Beau’s death.
“Was it really 2015?” Biden asked.
“Yes, May 2015,” the male voice reiterated.
Biden seemed equally confused recalling the timeline of Donald Trump’s election. “So, was Trump elected in November 2017?” he questioned, unsure.
“No, it was 2016,” the unnamed voice corrected.
“Oh right, 2016. It’s fine,” Biden said, as he continued to piece together the timeline.
Edward Siskel, a White House lawyer, reminded him, “That was when Trump was inaugurated in January 2017.”
“Got it. That’s when he took office, then January…” Biden replied.
Later, during the interview, Biden started to share a disjointed story about Beau, taking noticeably long pauses as different thoughts seemed to collide.
“In 2017, Beau passed away. This is personal for me. You know, the title of my book, ‘Promise Me, Dad,’ reflects how close we were—he felt like my right arm,” Biden stated. “These two were so intertwined in so many ways.”
He added, “It’s pressure, not pressure—Beau understood how much I admired him, or… well, I guess that may sound strange.”
At that juncture, Huar suggested a break, but Biden opted to continue, rambling about his ultimate decision to pursue the presidency.
Later in the recording, he questioned the timing of his own announcement to run, “When exactly did I say I was running?”
“2019,” came the response from Deputy Advisor Mark Crickbaum.
Biden’s cognitive and physical struggles had already surfaced prominently during a troubling debate display in June 2024, leading him to withdraw from the contest less than a month later.
Throughout June and July of the previous year, many Democrats and liberal media denounced reports claiming Biden had lost his edge as “fake news,” dismissing videos showing his moments of confusion as mere “cheap fabrications.”
However, a number of those very media voices, who once claimed he was “sharp as a tack,” are now beginning to scrutinize whether Biden’s close allies concealed his declining mental state from the public.
This week, Biden was diagnosed with an “aggressive” form of prostate cancer that has already spread to his bones, prompting renewed concerns regarding the extent of his health issues and whether he should pursue a second term.
