Former President Joe Biden writes in his new memoir that President Donald Trump's actions on Jan. 6, 2021, "should follow him to his grave," according to excerpts published Monday, Nov. 9, by The Atlantic.
In the excerpt, Biden says Trump "led an insurrection" and criticizes his pardons of Jan. 6 defendants. "The criminals who attacked law-enforcement officers that day didn't deserve pardons," Biden wrote. "They deserved prison terms," NBC News reported.
The 2024 Oval Office meeting
Biden also describes his nearly two-hour meeting with then-President-elect Trump in November 2024. He writes that Trump's tone "bordered on fawning" and that Trump told him, "You know, Joe, if it weren't for politics, I believe we'd be good friends," ABC News reported. Biden said Trump focused on the personalities of world leaders "as if we were sharing gossip about people at a dinner party."
Criticism of the second term
Biden criticizes the administration's withdrawal from the Paris climate accords, cuts to federal funding for Democratic-led states, and immigration enforcement, writing that ICE officers "would comb American cities," according to ABC News. NBC News said it had asked the White House for comment.
What's next: The memoir, "Promise Me, America," goes on sale Nov. 17. Biden said on X on Sunday that his cancer fight means he won't do as many interviews about the book as he had hoped.