Donald Trump Accuses People Around Joe Biden of Treason
By James Bickerton
President Donald Trump has accused members of former President Joe Biden's team of treason, saying that they "took over the autopen" and exposed the United States to "great danger."
The comment was posted by Trump on his Truth Social website on Tuesday.
On Sunday, Biden's office revealed he had been diagnosed with an "aggressive" form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.
Newsweek contacted Biden's office, via his presidential library, for comment on Wednesday via email outside of regular office hours.
Why It Matters
Biden's age and health were dominant concerns among voters during his time as president. The White House constantly faced scrutiny over its transparency while Biden was president. New questions have been raised about what the Biden administration and campaign hid from the public. However, there is no current indication publicly available that Biden was diagnosed with cancer during his time as president.
What To Know
Trump initially released a statement wishing his predecessor a "fast and successful recovery," but he now joins the chorus of Republican voices accusing Democratic officials of covering up for an elderly president who was unable to properly govern.
In his Truth Social post, Trump said Biden "was not for Open Borders...where criminals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, can flow into our Country at will."
Instead, he said such a policy had been pursued by "the people that knew he [Biden] was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen."
Between January 2021, when Biden entered office, and January 2024, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said it recorded 7.2 million encounters with suspected illegal immigrants, up from 2.4 million it reported during Trump's first term in office.
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Autopen is a mechanical device that replicates signatures. Trump had previously used the allegations of an autopen signature to attempt to void pardons offered by Biden to the former's political opponents.
Trump added: "They stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger. This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country."
"The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record," Trump said.
Biden and Trump
President Donald Trump speaking in the Oval Office of the White House on Tuesday, and former President Joe Biden speaking at Camp David in Maryland in January. JIM WATSON/AFP/CHRIS KLEPONIS/GETTY
Referring to Biden's aides, the president said that "something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs."
On Monday, Vice President JD Vance also wished the best for former President Joe Biden following his cancer diagnosis, but added that there needs to be honesty about his fitness to serve as president.
"Look, I will say, whether the right time to have this conversation is now or at some point in the future, we really do need to be honest about whether the former president was capable of doing the job," Vance told reporters aboard Air Force 2, per a pool report.
In February 2024, Biden's doctor declared him "fit to serve" after he underwent a physical at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
But a forthcoming book by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson alleges that White House aides covered up Biden's physical and mental decline during his term.
What People Are Saying
In his Truth Social post Trump said: "Joe Biden was not for Open Borders, he never talked about Open Borders, where criminals of all kinds, shapes, and sizes, can flow into our Country at will. It wasn't his idea to Open the Border, and almost destroy our Country, and cost us Hundreds of Billions of Dollars to get criminals out of our Country, and go through the process we are going through now. It was the people that knew he was cognitively impaired, and that took over the Autopen.
"They stole the Presidency of the United States, and put us in Great Danger. This is TREASON at the Highest Level! They did it to destroy our Country. The Joe Biden that everybody knew would never allow drug dealers, gang members, and the mentally insane to come into our Country totally unchecked and unvetted. All anyone has to do is look up his record. Something very severe should happen to these Treasonous Thugs that wanted to destroy our Country, but couldn't, because I came along. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
Speaking to Newsweek, Mark Shanahan, an American politics expert who teaches at the University of Surrey in the U.K, said: "Donald Trump's 'open borders' comment switching the blame from Joe Biden to his team is fascinating. It's not in his character to be sympathetic to his political enemies, but perhaps he sees Biden, out of office and weakened by cancer, as no longer a threat?
"But maybe there's something a little more insidious at play. Trump will leave office, by January 2029 at the latest, through age, ill-health or possibly on the back of a Republican defeat. He will be accountable for his actions but is likely to lay the blame on everyone else. Perhaps he's setting the scene now? For Trump, the president can never do anything wrong, but when they do, it's because of the failings of someone else."
What Happens Next
There is a push for more information about Biden's health during his presidency, and so further details may come to light. There is already a congressional probe underway led by the House Committee on Oversight.
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