After Joe Biden unexpectedly answered a reporter’s call and gave unscripted comments about the Trump administration and the 2024 election, his aides scrambled to shut down contact—blocking the reporter and disconnecting Biden’s number days later, according to a new book.
Tyler Pager, who coauthored 2024: How Trump Retook the White House and the Democrats Lost America with fellow journalists Josh Dawsey and Isaac Arnsdorf, said in the book that he reached Biden by phone twice in March, Axios reported.
Furious Biden aides “repeatedly called and texted” Pager following the first call, according to the book.
“After the brief second call, his aides blocked the reporter’s calls to the former president,” the book goes on. “Two days later, a message from Verizon Wireless replaced Biden’s voicemail: ‘The number you dialed has been changed, disconnected, or is no longer in service.'”
The news comes as Biden aides have long faced scrutiny for tightly controlling his public appearances and shielding him from unscripted moments amid concerns over the 82-year-old’s mental and physical decline.
Throughout his presidency, Biden often relied on cue cards with detailed instructions—even reminders to “sit” or “exit”—during public events, held fewer solo press conferences than any president in modern history, and avoided unscripted interactions with the press. On several occasions, White House staffers abruptly cut off live feeds during press gaggles or had to physically intervene to lead Biden offstage.
According to the authors, Biden said during the first call that he was open to talking for the book. In a follow-up call the next day, he said he has a “very negative” view of President Donald Trump’s second term. When asked if he has any regrets about dropping out of the 2024 race, Biden said, “No, not now. I don’t spend a lot of time on regrets.”
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