- Trump revokes Biden’s security clearance, citing precedent from 2021.
- Claims Biden cannot be trusted with classified intelligence due to memory concerns.
- Move follows Biden’s 2021 decision to block Trump from intelligence briefings.
President Donald Trump has announced the revocation of Joe Biden’s security clearance and access to daily intelligence briefings, mirroring a decision Biden made against him four years ago.
“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump stated on Truth Social, adding, “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED,” in reference to his famous catchphrase from The Apprentice.
Trump also revealed he had already revoked security clearances for more than four dozen former intelligence officials, whom he accused of interfering in the 2020 election to benefit Biden.
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In his post, Trump asserted that Biden had “set this precedent in 2021” when he blocked the former president from receiving national security briefings, a courtesy typically extended to ex-presidents.
Trump justified his decision by citing a Justice Department inquiry into Biden’s handling of classified files. While the investigation found no grounds for criminal charges, it criticized Biden’s memory, noting his difficulty recalling key life events such as the year of his son Beau’s death and his tenure as vice president. Biden strongly rejected that characterization.
Biden, who recently signed with a talent agency, has not yet responded to Trump’s decision. The BBC reached out to his representatives, but no immediate comment was provided.
In 2021, Biden became the first U.S. president to deny an ex-president access to intelligence briefings, citing Trump’s “erratic behaviour” and the risk of him mishandling sensitive information. His decision came shortly after the January 6 Capitol riot, which Democrats alleged Trump had incited in his final days in office.
At the time, Biden defended his move, saying, “What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?”
In 2022, federal agents found classified documents at Trump’s Florida home, leading to charges of wilfully retaining defence information. He pleaded not guilty, and the case was later dropped after his re-election.
Since returning to office, Trump has moved to revoke security clearances and protections for officials linked to the Biden administration.
Among them is former top US military commander Mark Milley, a vocal Trump critic, whose security clearance and detail were rescinded. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth has also ordered an investigation into Milley’s conduct and a review of his military rank.
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Trump also revoked the security detail of Anthony Fauci, Biden’s former chief medical adviser who led the US Covid-19 response, calling the decision “very standard” and arguing that lifelong protection for all former officials was unsustainable.
Additionally, he ended security protection for his own former Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, and former National Security Adviser, John Bolton, last month.
The president has also revoked security clearances for dozens of former intelligence officials, including two ex-CIA directors, who signed a 2020 letter suggesting reports about Hunter Biden’s laptop were a Russian disinformation campaign. However, the laptop, containing evidence of drug use, prostitution, and foreign business dealings, was later confirmed to be real.
