Joe Biden’s Robert Hur Audio Obtained by Axios: What We Know

Audio obtained exclusively by Axios from former President Joe Biden’s October 2023 interview with Special Counsel Robert Hur reveals memory lapses and prolonged pauses as Biden struggled to recall key dates and events when he left office as vice president.

The Context

Hur interviewed Biden in relation to the discovery of Obama-era sensitive materials at Biden’s Delaware home and office he used in Washington, D.C., and his report concluded that charges against Biden were unwarranted.

Hur then made waves last year when he revealed that his interview with Biden revealed memory problems and raised questions about the former president’s cognitive abilities. He said that obtaining a conviction against Biden would prove difficult, as he would likely appear as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

Biden’s age remained a sensitive topic throughout his presidency and grew to a fever pitch during the 2024 presidential election after a poor debate performance that eventually led to Biden pulling out of the race. His vice president, Kamala Harris, ran in his place and lost to President Donald Trump.

What To Know

Axios on Friday released audio of Biden’s interview with Hur, during which there are noticeable pauses and some confusion from the former president regarding personal details, like the date of his son Beau’s death and the timing of Trump’s 2016 election.

The Trump administration has teased a release of the audio, which Biden had blocked through the use of executive privilege—a move that sparked intense backlash from Republican lawmakers, and the Biden White House accused those lawmakers of lacking “a legitimate need for the audio recordings.”

Trump on Friday said he was leaving it up to Attorney General Pam Bondi whether to release the recording and when, saying, “I haven’t really looked into it.”

The release of the audio on Friday coincides with the release of the book Original Sin by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, which comes out next week. The book examines Biden’s decline and efforts by his team to dismiss and downplay concerns about the president’s age going into a critical election season.

Hur had released the transcript of his interview, but the recording, featuring Biden’s slurred speech and hesitations, provides context absent from the official transcript and shows his attorneys frequently stepping in to support his recollection.

Attorneys had to remind Biden about the year Beau died and when Trump was first elected. The ticking of a grandfather clock in the White House’s Map Room, where the interview took place, is audible throughout due to the pauses and silence that hangs in the room as the former president tries to remember dates and events.

However, Biden remained largely engaged throughout the interview, and some of the pauses occur at deeply emotional moments while he is speaking, particularly when discussing Beau’s death.

But his trademark dismissal, “Anyway,” is heard in the recording when he is unable to recall some details.

Axios cited other elements of the interview that were not present in the audio clip, mainly tangents Biden takes throughout, like President Barack Obama had opposed him running in 2016, the type of wood and moldings used to refurbish his home, the car he drove with Jay Leno, the influence of Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press, and other factoids and experiences.

What People Are Saying

Trump told reporters on Air Force One: “Look, everybody understands the condition of him,” the president continued. “I know people that are 89, 90, 92, 93 years old and are literally perfect. But Joe was not one of them, and they did a lot of hiding. They were, they were really playing games. And, you know, you can’t do that. Our country’s at stake.”

Biden spokesperson Kelly Scully told Axios: “The transcripts were released by the Biden administration more than a year ago. The audio does nothing but confirm what is already public.”

Chris D. Jackson, political strategist and former elected official, wrote on X: “If you needed any more proof that Alex Thompson is fully compromised—he was just handed exclusive audio from the Hur Report by the Trump team. This isn’t journalism. It’s a reward for carrying water for Trump and relentlessly attacking Joe Biden. And the timing? Just hours after Moody’s downgraded our credit rating. Almost like they needed a distraction, and Alex was more than happy to play his part.”

Update 5/16/25, 8:58 p.m. ET: This article has been updated with additional information, context and comments.