Trump ends Biden's intelligence briefings

On Friday, President Trump made an announcement regarding his plans to "immediately" deprive former President Joe Biden of access to classified intelligence, as The Associated Press reported.

“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Trump wrote in a post to Truth Social.

“Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings.”

No security clearances are granted to presidents. On the contrary, the intelligence community's primary function is to furnish the president with classified information at any level. If a former president is being consulted about events that happened during their administration, they are generally entitled to receive intelligence briefings.

Biden's Previous Comments

“I just think that there is no need for him to have the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing?” Biden added. “What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?”

In June 2023, Trump faced charges related to a case that alleged he had improperly handled secret material following his departure from office.

A judge in Florida who was appointed by Trump later dropped all charges against him after he entered a not guilty plea. Just days into his second term in office, Trump's government decided to drop the appeal, ending the lawsuit, which had been initiated by the Justice Department during Biden's presidency.

In Friday's post, Trump made reference to Biden's remarks, stating that Biden "set this precedent in 2021."

The Special Counsel Report

Former special counsel Robert Hur claimed in a report from 2024 that Biden had a "poor memory," which Trump also referenced.

Hur made these remarks in a report outlining his reasoning for not pressing charges against Biden for the handling of secret documents.

“We have also considered that, at trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” the report said.

Legal experts have criticized Trump's unprecedented move last month to revoke the security clearances of fifty former intelligence officials.