Democracy & Rule of Law · Report · File No. 261109-892
Biden memoir says Trump's Jan. 6 role 'should follow him to his grave'
In the first excerpt of his White House memoir, Joe Biden accuses Donald Trump of leading an insurrection and damaging the country. It lands days after the midterms, as Democrats push for oversight of the administration.
Every quote in this story (2) was matched word for word against its source. How we work
Former President Joe Biden writes in his White House memoir that Donald Trump has deeply damaged the country and the world. He describes an administration determined to “tear down institutions and inflame hatreds.” 1
The first excerpt of “Promise Me, America” was published Monday by The Atlantic. The full book is due out Nov. 17. 1 Biden is 83. Trump is 80. 1
What Biden says about Jan. 6
Biden says Trump's years of lies about his 2020 defeat, and the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol, should follow Trump to his grave. 1 The attack came as Congress met to certify the 2020 election, which Biden won. 1
Donald Trump led an insurrection
Biden rejects the idea that the crowd was peaceful. He writes that the rioters “came armed to stop the official certification of a legitimate election.” 1 He also criticizes Trump for later issuing more than 1,500 pardons to the offenders. 1
From Channel GOPTrump's 'find 11,780 votes' call played at hearingDonald Trump · 310 plays · captioned, with the source named
Biden takes aim at Trump's claim to back the police. He writes that you cannot ignore officers being “punched, speared, sprayed, and brutalized” and still call yourself a friend of law enforcement. 1
What Trump did on January 6, 2021, should never be forgotten. It should follow him to his grave.
A friendly Oval Office meeting
The excerpt also describes the meeting Biden and Trump held eight days after the 2024 election. Biden wrote that Trump's tone was so friendly that he thought Trump “might be putting me on.” He said the tone “bordered on fawning.” 2
Biden says that when he briefed Trump on the issues he expected to dominate his presidency, Trump focused on the personalities of world leaders. Biden compared it to “gossip about people at a dinner party.” 2
Policy and health
Biden also laments Trump's Department of Government Efficiency, the cost-cutting effort known as DOGE. He criticizes Trump's aggressive reversal of many Biden policies, especially those meant to address climate change. 1
Biden said doctors are encouraged by how he is responding to cancer treatment. He said his book promotion will be limited because of his health. 1
What happens next
The complete memoir arrives Nov. 17, so more of Biden's account is likely to come out in the next week. 1 The publisher describes the book as covering his four years in the White House. That includes his major domestic laws, his foreign policy and his reasons for leaving the 2024 race. 3
Neither the AP report nor the HuffPost account included a White House response to the excerpt. 12
That matters because the Jan. 6 pardons and the 2020 election claims remain a live dispute over accountability. Biden is making a historical case, and it comes at a time when Democrats are talking about oversight of the administration. This is analysis, and the excerpt is one man's account. Still, it is a former president putting on the record his view of what happened that day. 1
The Record
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Sources
- ABC News (AP), “Joe Biden, in White House memoir, says Trump should carry the weight of Jan. 6 riots 'to his grave'” (2026-11-09). abcnews.com/Politics/wireStory/joe-biden-white-house-memoir-
- HuffPost via Yahoo News, “'It Should Follow Him To His Grave': Biden Slams Trump Over Jan. 6 In New Book” (2026-11-09). nz.news.yahoo.com/him-grave-biden-slams-trump-115023023.html
- Hachette Book Group, “Promise Me, America” (2026-11-09). hachettebookgroup.com/landing-page/promise-me-america
Found an error? Tell the newsroom. Corrections are noted at the top of the story.
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