Secret Joe Biden Audio Tapes Released as Ex-Prez Appears to Struggle to Speak About 'Classified' Docs
Audio recordings of Joe Biden speaking with his ghostwriter have been released.
July 28 2026, Published 3:00 p.m. ET
A batch of audio recordings that Joe Biden attempted to keep private has now been released to the public, RadarOnline.com can reveal, and it has pulled back the curtain on the now-former president.
The recordings, about 70 hours' worth, were made by Biden's ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, who assisted in the publication of his 2017 book, Promise Me, Dad: A Year of Hope, Hardship, and Purpose.
Joe Biden on Tape: 'This Is Classified'
Biden was recorded his by ghostwriter, Mark Zwonitzer, for his 2017 book.
Biden, who kept classified information in his home, is heard telling Zwonitzer in a recording, "Some of this may be classified... So, be careful. I'm not sure ... It's not marked classified but –"
"The next thing I have here is, um, this is classified..." the now 83-year-old says at another point in the recording. In the clips, Biden also appears to be struggling to remember things, as he pauses and has issues finding the right words.
While running for a second term, Biden was criticized for stumbling over words and appearing to lose track of his thoughts, which was made evident during his disastrous debate performance against opponent Donald Trump in June 2024. He would eventually be replaced by his running mate, Kamala Harris.
In the newly released recordings, Biden again seems out of it as he asks Zwonitzer, "Alright – what was I going to ask you? Something else… Uh… um. Oh gosh. I can't think of anything else."
Audio Recordings Details
The now 83-year-old is heard saying 'This is confusing' and also discussing 'classified' documents.
The recordings also include Biden discussing potentially classified meetings, and "a big meeting with the CIA and everyone," "a big meeting down in the Situation Room," as well as "a long meeting where DOD brief … POTUS."
According to one clip, recorded on October 10, 2016, Biden claims he has notes that the White House was not aware of at the time: "I have extensive notes over this period of time… They didn't know I have this," he says on the tape.
In another recording, just four months later, Biden is heard saying, "I just found all the classified stuff downstairs." Another portion of the recordings has Biden trying to recall his previous conversation with his ghostwriter.
"It's confusing me," Biden is heard saying before an assistant attempted to put him back on track.
Joe Biden's Legal Team Responds
Kamala Harris replaced Joe Biden during the 2024 election following Biden's concerning debate performance.
The tapes became a focal point after Justice Department special counsel Robert Hur noted them in a February 2024 report on Biden's handling of classified documents. Hur zeroed in on the documents after some information marked classified, dating back to his time as President Obama's vice president, was found in his home and private office.
After a two-year battle to keep the tapes private and several adverse rulings, Biden's lawyers relented.
"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," spokesperson TJ Ducklo said in response to the tapes being released.
"Reversing course and making them public is just the latest example of this Administration weaponizing the DOJ for political retribution. It's wrong, and while President Biden disagrees with today's decision, he also respects the courts and the vital role an independent judiciary plays in a healthy democracy."
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The former president, who is battling cancer, will be releasing another book.
Hur, who decided not to prosecute Biden, previously said of his decision, "Mr. Biden's recorded conversations with Zwonitzer from 2017 are often painfully slow, with Mr. Biden struggling to remember events and straining at times to read and relay his own notebook entries."
He added at the time, "For these jurors, Mr. Biden's apparent lapses and failures in February and April 2017 will likely appear consistent with the diminished faculties and faulty memory he showed in Zwonitzer's interview recordings and in our interview of him."
Biden, who will be releasing another memoir, Promise Me, America, later this year, was recently seen "mumbling to himself" while at Obama's presidential center opening. He was later seen remaining on stage near the podium after much of the ceremony had ended, as he scanned the audience.
"Where's my granddaughter?" he eventually called out. Biden is currently battling stage 4 metastatic prostate cancer.
