Joe Biden wanted to keep the outtakes under wraps. A judge just told him to get stuffed.
On Friday, a federal judge tossed out the former president's lawsuit seeking to block the release of audio recordings from the making of his 2024 memoir, Promises Kept. Biden's legal team argued that releasing the raw tapes would violate his right to privacy. The judge wasn't buying it.
The Gist of It
Biden, 83, filed the suit in April after the National Archives signaled it would release the recordings to a conservative watchdog group that had requested them under the Freedom of Information Act. The group, Judicial Watch, has a long history of hounding Democratic officials. This time, they caught a big one.
The recordings include hours of Biden being interviewed by his ghostwriter. According to court filings, Biden's lawyers claimed the tapes capture him in "unguarded, private moments" where he discusses family matters, policy decisions, and other politicians in terms that might embarrass him. In other words, the stuff that sells books.
But Judge Reggie Walton, a George W. Bush appointee, wasn't moved. In his ruling, he wrote that "the former president's subjective desire for privacy does not outweigh the public's right to access historical records." Ouch.
Biden's team had also argued that releasing the tapes would chill future presidents from speaking candidly with their ghostwriters. Walton shot that down too, noting that presidents have long known their words could end up in archives. "If Mr. Biden wished to keep his remarks confidential, he should have kept a diary, not hired a publisher," the judge wrote.
What's Likely on Those Tapes?
Let's be real. Biden's memoir was a carefully crafted piece of political spin. It painted him as the elder statesman who saved democracy from Donald Trump. But the outtakes? Probably a different story.
If you've ever heard Biden off-script — and who hasn't? — you know he rambles, he forgets names, he tells stories that don't add up. He once claimed to have been arrested while trying to visit Nelson Mandela in prison. He wasn't. He said his uncle was eaten by cannibals in New Guinea. The Pentagon said no. The tapes likely capture plenty of those moments, along with unvarnished opinions about fellow Democrats, foreign leaders, and maybe even his own family.
This is the same guy who, during the 2020 campaign, told a story about a German chancellor calling him a "f***ing liar." He laughed it off then. On tape, it might not sound so funny.
"The former president's subjective desire for privacy does not outweigh the public's right to access historical records." — Judge Reggie Walton
Hypocrisy Much?
Here's the part that stings for Biden: during his 2020 campaign, he promised to run the most transparent administration in history. He called Trump's refusal to release his tax returns or White House visitor logs an affront to democracy. He even said presidents should be held accountable for their words and actions.
Now he's in court trying to hide his own. The judge didn't miss that irony. In a footnote, Walton noted that Biden's lawsuit "stands in stark contrast to the plaintiff's prior public statements regarding executive transparency."
Biden's spokesperson said they were "disappointed" and considering an appeal. But let's face it: this is a PR nightmare. The tapes are coming out, and Biden's team knows they'll be cherry-picked by critics to make him look like a doddering old man — or worse, a liar.
The Bigger Picture
This isn't just about Biden. It's about whether former presidents can use privacy claims to shield themselves from history. The law is clear: once you're president, your official records belong to the public. That includes the rambling, the off-color jokes, the moments of weakness. Biden's team tried to argue that the recordings were personal, not official. But the ghostwriter sessions were paid for by the publisher and involved discussions of Biden's presidency. The judge wasn't buying that either.
This ruling sets a precedent. Future presidents — including Trump, who is reportedly working on his own memoir from prison — will know that their unvarnished words could one day see the light of day. That might make them more careful. Or it might make them more paranoid. Either way, it's good for historians and bad for anyone who values a sanitized legacy.
What Happens Next?
The National Archives will now process the release. Expect the first batch of tapes to drop within weeks. Then the feeding frenzy begins. Cable news will play clips on loop. Social media will dissect every flub and contradiction. Biden's allies will spin it as a hit job. His enemies will call it vindication.
But here's the thing: the tapes might not be that damaging. Biden is a known quantity. Everyone already knows he misspeaks and exaggerates. What the tapes might reveal is something more subtle — his actual thinking on key decisions, his relationships with world leaders, his real feelings about the people around him.
Or they could be boring as hell. Ghostwriter sessions often are. Lots of ums and ahs, long pauses, the sound of pages turning. But in the age of outrage, boring won't stop the spin machine.
One thing's for sure: Joe Biden wanted to control his own story. A judge just told him the story belongs to the rest of us. And we're about to hit play.
