A newly released recording raises fresh concerns about former President Joe Biden’s mental sharpness during his classified documents investigation and his time in the White House.

Axios has published audio from an interview between Biden and then-special counsel Robert Hur that features the president struggling to recall key dates and details while under questioning about his handling of sensitive materials, as Breitbart reports.

The audio comes from a multi-day interview conducted by Hur, who had been appointed to examine whether Biden mishandled classified documents after they were discovered in multiple locations, including his home and former office. Axios’s publication of the tape provides the public with a firsthand account of Biden’s demeanor and memory during the probe.

Among the more striking moments highlighted in the recording is Biden questioning if his son Beau’s death occurred in 2015 and incorrectly stating that Trump was elected president in 2017. Beau Biden, the president’s late son, died on May 30, 2015, from brain cancer. Trump was elected in November 2016 and inaugurated in January 2017.

Biden expresses confusion over dates and events

In one exchange, Hur asked Biden where he kept documents relating to his work with the Penn Biden Center, the Biden Institute, and other initiatives such as the Cancer Moonshot and his memoir between 2017 and 2018. Biden repeatedly hesitated and offered unclear answers, saying, “Well... I, I, I, I, I, I don’t know. This is what -- 2017, 2018, that area?” Hur confirmed the timeframe.

Biden then referenced personal hardships from that period, stating, “Remember, in this time frame, my son is either been deployed or is dying. And, so, it was, and by the way, there are still a lot of people at the time when I got out of the Senate that were encouraging me to run in this period, except the president.” He continued, “I’m not -- it’s not a mean thing to say, he just thought that she had a better shot of winning the presidency than I did.”

Later in the interview, Biden appeared uncertain about his timeline, asking, “What month did Beau die? Oh, God, May 30? Was it 2015 that he died? I think it’s 2015.” He also misstated Trump’s election year, suggesting the former president was elected “in November of 2017.”

Hur deemed charges unwarranted due to memory lapses

Hur, who conducted the investigation and authored a report in February 2024, determined that while Biden had improperly retained classified documents, he would not be charged. The special counsel pointed to what he described as Biden’s diminished memory and overall presentation during the interview. According to the report, Biden likely would “present himself to a jury... as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.”

He elaborated that this impression would probably create reasonable doubt for jurors, weakening the possibility of a conviction. This conclusion has become a central point of political and legal discussion regarding the outcome of the investigation. The public release of the audio has now cast additional light on that assessment.

Previously, only a transcript of the interview had been made public. In March 2024, Breitbart News reported several mental lapses from Biden during questioning. The full audio, obtained and released by Axios, presents an audible context to those moments that could not be entirely captured by text alone.

Attempts made to block audio release

In May 2024, then-President Biden invoked executive privilege to prevent House Republicans from obtaining the complete audio recordings of the interview. The privilege was cited as a means to protect deliberative processes and maintain executive branch confidentiality. Still, critics, particularly Republican lawmakers, argued that the move was really intended to withhold information that could reflect poorly on Biden’s cognitive health.

John Nolte of Breitbart News later reported that sources connected to the Trump administration were considering whether to release the audio independently, out of concern that Biden had mishandled sensitive materials. While those efforts did not produce an alternative public release, Axios’s publication now fulfills that goal.

The documents investigation began after classified materials were discovered across seven sites tied to Biden. These included his former office at the Penn Biden Center as well as his Wilmington, Delaware, home. The probe initially focused on whether any documents were knowingly or recklessly stored.

New glimpse into Biden's status emerges

This new audio release offers an auditory glimpse into the president’s tone, hesitations, and memory performance during one of the more consequential investigations of his presidency. While Biden spoke clearly for portions of the interview, stretches of verbal wandering and confusion reinforced aspects of the special counsel’s report.

In sharing the audio, Axios did not provide commentary but allowed the public to draw its conclusions from the contents. The recording shows Biden frequently trailing off as he searched for specific dates and context, a pattern that has become an ongoing concern for political opponents and observers.

The Biden administration long maintained that the then-president had done nothing wrong and responded to the investigation in good faith.

Fallout from audio release continues to grow

As of now, no new legal consequences appear imminent following the release of the audio. Hur’s decision not to pursue criminal charges remains the final word on the matter. Yet, political ramifications from the public perception may endure, as voters and lawmakers process the newly available interview.

Biden allies have continued to defend the former president’s record and focus on policy outcomes they say he achieved rather than what they say are debatable personal attributes.

With the audio now accessible to the public, the debate over how age and mental clarity should factor into fitness for office is likely to intensify well into the future.