5 Biden Memoir Takeaways: The Debate, Dropping Out, Romney’s Advice

A unanimous show of support

Biden writes that discussions with senior White House advisers in 2023 helped firm up his decision to run again. He recalls that campaign preparations were already underway, including television ads and an announcement.

In the memoir, Biden says each person in the room supported the campaign, with no dissent. He was just past 80, his approval rating was falling, and he had previously described his presidency as a bridge to a new generation of Democrats.

Harris offered a different view in her memoir, “107 Days,” published last year. She called Biden’s decision reckless and wrote that she might have advised him against running, while saying she was poorly placed to make that case.

Debate and campaign fallout

The memoir revisits the debate that Biden describes as the event that derailed his campaign. He recounts his immediate response and defends his decision to seek another term.

Many in Biden’s party now regard his re-election bid as a mistake. The book also looks back at his decision to end the campaign.

Memoir arrives amid illness

The 480-page book is scheduled for release on Tuesday, at what would have been the midpoint of Biden’s second term. Biden, 83, has aggressive prostate cancer and has reduced promotion of the memoir because of his condition. The book also describes Biden’s exasperation with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.