President Donald Trump revoked former President Joe Biden’s access to classified information, according to a Truth Social announcement.
While former presidents have historically been given post-presidency classified intelligence briefings, Biden took the unprecedented move in February 2021 of revoking the privilege for Trump, citing his “erratic behavior.” Four years later, Trump returned the favor.
“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information. Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings,” the president announced in a post on Truth Social.
“He set this precedent in 2021, when he instructed the Intelligence Community (IC) to stop the 45th President of the United States (ME!) from accessing details on National Security, a courtesy provided to former Presidents. The Hur Report revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and, even in his ‘prime,’ could not be trusted with sensitive information,” Trump continued.
“I will always protect our National Security — JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!” he concluded.
A former White House spokesperson under Biden told the Washington Examiner, “So, this is Trump’s plan for cheaper eggs? After breaking his top campaign promise to lower costs on ‘Day One,’ he’s instead busy cutting taxes for billionaires and targeting Americans who disagree with his agenda. It’s like he’s working for Elon Musk, not the American people.”
Presidents don’t have a security clearance as commonly understood, as they are granted access to classified information by virtue of their elected position rather than being vetted. While they aren’t guaranteed continued access to classified security briefings after leaving office, historical precedent has seen every president receive them to advise the incumbent.
This precedent was broken in February 2021 when Biden revoked it for Trump. He said it was unrelated to the Jan. 6 riot, instead citing his general behavior.
“I just think that there is no need for him to have the intelligence briefings,” Biden said at the time.
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“What value is giving him an intelligence briefing?” he added. “What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?”
The Washington Examiner reached out to the White House for further comment. Christian Datoc contributed to this report.
