Biden Says Jan. 6 Should Haunt Trump for Life
WHO:
NBC News - Joe Biden, identified in the article as the author of a forthcoming memoir, criticized President Donald Trump over Trump’s actions during the January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
NBC News - Biden wrote that Trump “led an insurrection” and criticized Trump’s pardons of defendants charged in connection with January 6.
The Times of India - Biden accused Trump of undermining American democracy and damaging democratic institutions.
ABC News Politics - Biden wrote that Trump’s administration was determined to “tear down institutions and inflame hatreds.”
NBC News - Biden’s memoir is titled *Promise Me, America*. The Times of India said its title echoes Biden’s earlier book, *Promise Me, Dad*, about his son Beau’s cancer and death.
The Times of India - Biden’s vice president, Kamala Harris, lost the election to Trump.
WHAT:
ABC News - Biden wrote that Trump was “desperate to hang on to power” after losing the 2020 election.
ABC News - Biden criticized Trump for not holding a formal ceremony honoring officers who defended the Capitol.
ABC News - Biden wrote that Trump falsely claimed he had defeated Biden in 2020 and said Trump tore down the White House East Wing after promising he would not.
ABC News - Biden criticized Trump’s withdrawal from the Paris climate accords, opening public lands to oil drilling, ending support for electric vehicles, canceling wind and solar projects, cutting federal funding to Democratic states, gutting nonprofits, and withdrawing from the World Health Organization.
ABC News - Biden said Trump’s administration would be “a crueler government” that stoked racial tensions, pursued an end to birthright citizenship, and used expanded ICE powers to detain people away from courts and local police.
ABC News - Biden called the Supreme Court’s presidential-immunity ruling “a death knell for accountability” and said, “no nation can survive character-free leadership for long.”
ABC News - Biden said Trump told him, “Yes, if it weren’t for politics, we’d spend all our time golfing together.”
NBC News - Biden wrote that Trump’s January 6 actions “should never be forgotten” and “should follow him to his grave.”
NBC News - Biden wrote that January 6 defendants who attacked law-enforcement officers “didn’t deserve pardons” and “deserved prison terms.” He said officers were “punched, speared, sprayed, and brutalized.”
The Times of India - Biden rejected describing the rioters as peaceful protesters, saying they came armed to stop Congress from certifying a legitimate election.
The Times of India - Biden criticized Trump’s treatment of his administration’s achievements, including climate policies, and criticized the Department of Government Efficiency.
NBC News - Biden described Trump’s tone during their post-election meeting as “bordered on fawning.” Biden said Trump told him, “if it weren’t for politics, I believe we’d be good friends,” and praised his job-creation record as “extraordinary.”
The Times of India - Biden said he briefed Trump on the Russia-Ukraine war, NATO, Israel and Gaza, and U.S.-China relations; Biden felt Trump focused more on leaders’ personalities than international affairs.
NBC News - Biden said cancer would limit his book-promotional activities: “Some days are better than others. It hasn’t stopped me. But sometimes it slows me down.”
WHERE:
NBC News - The January 6 attack took place at the U.S. Capitol in Washington.
NBC News - Biden and Trump met at the White House.
WHEN:
ABC News - Biden’s Oval Office meeting with Trump lasted nearly two hours.
NBC News - The memoir is scheduled to be published on Nov. 17.
NBC News - The excerpt was published by *The Atlantic* on Monday.
NBC News - Biden said Trump was considering pardons for members of his administration before his term concluded.
The Times of India - Biden abandoned his reelection campaign after a debate with Trump in June 2024; Harris subsequently lost the November election to Trump.
WHY:
ABC News - Biden said Trump’s policies would make it harder for the United States to compete with China.
NBC News - Biden said Trump’s actions warranted lasting condemnation because of the attack on law-enforcement officers and Trump’s pardons of January 6 defendants.
The Times of India - Biden said the meeting with Trump left him concerned Trump would dismantle his administration’s achievements; Biden said Trump’s early executive orders confirmed those concerns.
HOW:
NBC News - Biden’s criticism appeared in a memoir excerpt published by *The Atlantic*.
The Times of India - Biden said he would explain the challenges he faced and decisions he made as president in the memoir.
(UPDATED November 9, 2026 17:01 UTC)
Joe Biden’s forthcoming memoir accuses President Trump of undermining democracy and leading an insurrection. Biden condemns Trump’s January 6 actions and pardons, saying attackers deserved prison. He warns Trump’s policies threaten democratic institutions and America’s climate efforts.
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(UPDATED November 9, 2026 16:02 UTC)
Joe Biden accuses President Trump of leading an insurrection and undermining democracy in his forthcoming memoir. He condemns Trump’s pardons for January 6 attackers, saying officers were brutally assaulted at the Capitol. The memoir, *Promise Me, America*, is scheduled for publication Nov. 17.