Former president Joe Biden has revealed that Donald Trump told him that if it weren’t for politics, he believed the pair would be “good friends.”
Writing in his upcoming memoir Promise Me, America, Biden shared how he was “surprised” at Trump’s “friendly” tone when the Democrat hosted the then-president-elect and his entourage at the White House in November 2024 – and claimed that Trump even complimented his time in office.
The former president claimed that Trump told him his performance on job creation had been “extraordinary” — and that he was relieved he didn’t have to run against him after he dropped out of the presidential race. It marked a significant shift in tone for Trump, who hurled insults, such as “Sleepy Joe,” at his predecessor on the campaign trail.
“Trump was immediately chatty and surprised me by adopting a tone so friendly that I thought he might be putting me on,” Biden wrote in an excerpt from his book published in The Atlantic. “It bordered on fawning.”
Biden, 83, recalled that Trump, 80, turned to him and said, “You know, Joe, if it weren’t for politics, I believe we’d be good friends.”
“I think I blinked, too stunned to respond. Then he kept going, as if intoxicated by the curious conversational path he had chosen,” Biden recalled.
Trump then apparently said to Biden, “Yes, if it weren’t for politics, we’d spend all our time golfing together.” The meeting in the Diplomatic Reception Room was scheduled for 30 minutes but ran nearly two hours, according to Biden.
Biden was diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer last year and said that his health meant he has had to scale back in-person events to promote his memoir.
“Some days are better than others. It hasn't stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down,” Biden said in a social media post Sunday. “What that means is, unfortunately, I won’t be able to do as many conversations about my book as I’d hoped. However, I’m hopeful the words on the page speak for themselves.”
Concern over Biden’s health and mental fitness dominated the end of his second term and 2024 presidential campaign. After intense scrutiny following a disastrous debate performance against Trump, former Vice President Kamala Harris stepped in for Biden and mounted an unsuccessful bid for the White House.
Critics accused the Biden administration of concealing the extent of the president’s health struggles and paving the way for the Democrats’ bruising 2024 loss.
Former first lady Jill Biden opened up about the impact of her husband’s cancer diagnosis while promoting her own book earlier this year. While she had previously expressed anger over the Democratic Party's treatment of Biden after the debate, she said she has reconciled with those feelings after the diagnosis.
“I think Joe’s cancer diagnosis, it really puts life into perspective and you really do appreciate each and every day and a lot of anger that you have, you think, ‘What’s the point?’ You know, ‘What is the point?’” she said on The View in June. “And I think that’s why Joe and I try to, you know, just take each day that comes and try to find the joys.”
Read More‘Pete Hegseth has got to go’: Jeffries ‘hard yes’ on defense secretary’s impeachment
Bernie Sanders gives Trump backhanded compliment when asked about Stephen Miller
Trump admits ICE crackdown went too far and suggests amnesty after midterms disaster
Teddy Riner announces a run for French president, pledging to bring people together
Top pollster analyst believes this Democrat is runaway favorite for 2028
Iran ridicules Trump’s Task Force Iron Gate as ‘distraction’ from midterms disaster
