Since leaving public office, former President Joe Biden has not gone quietly as some expected, instead filling his year with public appearances and headline-grabbing moments.
It's been nearly a year since Biden left the White House, but that doesn't mean it's been a quiet year for the longtime senator and one-term president. What started with pardons for many of his family members ended with a viral post on Christmas Eve and included speaking engagements, book writing and train rides in between. (RELATED: Biden's Biggest Regret Is His Most Shameless Confession)
Biden started the year hot, admitting preemptive pardon Dr. Anthony Fauci, retired Army General Mark Milley, members of the House Select Committee on the January 6 attack on the Capitol, and his family members in the last days of his presidency. The former president remained silent after leaving D.C. on Jan. 20, making only a handful of statements on X until March.
Former U.S. President Joe Biden and former first lady Jill Biden wave aboard Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews, Maryland, during a farewell ceremony Jan. 20, 2025, following the inauguration of Donald Trump. (Photo by ALLISON ROBBERT/AFP via Getty Images)
In March, Biden emerged from political hibernation. First, NBC News reported that Biden and his former first lady Jill Biden wanted to return to politics even after being forced out by their own party. Sources told the outlet that the former president met with newly elected Democratic National Committee Chairman Ken Martin in February to offer his assistance.
Sources at the time said Biden and his wife were both working on the book, with the former president traveling between Delaware and the District of Columbia to meet with advisers while he wrote.
A few days later, Biden returned to the political arena with a campaign-style post.
“Fifteen years ago today, I supported President Obama when he signed the Affordable Care Act. It was a big deal then, and it remains the same today,” Biden wrote in the Trump administration. proposed program modifications.
“Under my administration, we have focused on building on the successes of the ACA. I am proud that we have helped record numbers of Americans sign up for marketplace insurance and significantly lowered prescription drug costs and premiums. I believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and we must always protect it,” the statement said.
Fifteen years ago today, I supported President Obama as he signed the Affordable Care Act. It was a big deal then, and it remains so today.
Under my administration, we have focused on building on the successes of the ACA. I'm proud that we helped a record number of Americans… pic.twitter.com/t261iDIeD8
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) March 23, 2025
The Bidens also did their first big performance took place in March after leaving office, at the premiere of Othello on Broadway.
In April Biden gave his first public appearance since leaving office, when he decided to lecture Americans on “dignity.”
“This is about dignity. Simple dignity. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity. No matter their standards, no matter their economic system, no matter who they are,” Biden said, just months after calling Trump supporters “trash.”
Biden and his wife chose May to make her first major television appearance since leaving office, joining The View. The former president also made his first television appearance in May, speaking to the BBC.
He stated this in an interview with the BBC. stated Dropping out of the presidential race was a “difficult decision” because his presidency was “so successful in our agenda.”
Biden's appearance on View magazine goes about as well as you'd expect. pic.twitter.com/0XID2b3cKL
—blaine c. (@blaynecs) May 8, 2025
In typical Biden fashion, he rambling after being asked about reports of his cognitive decline during a conversation with The View. The former first lady had to intervene to protect him.
“They're wrong. There's nothing to support that. Number one. Number two, you know, think about what we're left with. We were left with circumstances where we had a rebellion when I started – not since the Civil War. We had circumstances where we were in a position where we – well, a pandemic, because of the incompetence of the last detachment, and over a million people were dying, a million people were dying,” Biden said. “And we also found ourselves in a situation where we found ourselves unable to deal with a lot of just basic issues, which I won't go into in the interest of time. And so we went to work and did it, and, you know, one of those things that… well… I'm talking too long,” Biden said, trailing off before his wife took control.
Also in May, Biden's personal account announced he was diagnosed with aggressive prostate cancer. The statement said the former president suffered from a “more aggressive form of the disease” that had metastasized to the bones and noted that the disease could be managed appropriately.
In June the New York Post broken that Biden was riding an Amtrak train to and from Delaware and talking loudly in a quiet car. The Post reported that during the train ride, Biden asked for ice cream but had to accept a cupcake.
“He was talking in a quiet car!” A regular Amtrak employee told The Post.
After the Amtrak ride, Biden made another public performance at Reedy Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Church V Galveston, Texas for Juneteenth celebration.
In July, Biden signed a memoir deal with Hachette Book Group for about $10 million, sources said. said Wall Street Journal. The deal is much smaller than its predecessors, as former President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama reportedly signed a co-publishing agreement. deal with with Penguin Random House worth about $60 million, and former President Bill Clinton was paid $15 million for his autobiography.
Biden then headed National Bar Association 100th Annual Awards Ceremony in Chicago.
“These are dark days,” former President Biden said during a speech at the National Bar Association's annual gala in Chicago, warning that American democracy is under threat. He accused President Trump of trying to destroy the Constitution and called on Americans to “not apologize… pic.twitter.com/oqSD5MTsAE
— CBS News (@CBSNews) August 1, 2025
August was a fairly quiet month for Biden, although his daughter Ashley posted a few photos with her father, according to the fan account Biden Activity Tracker.
In September, Biden publicly stated that he subjected to Mohs micrographic surgery delete cancerous skin lesions on the head. This was the same month that The Wall Street Journal reported that the former president is making far less money than he expected after his presidency. The publication reported that Biden has $800,000 in personal debt to pay off by helping his son Hunter Biden pay legal bills and his daughter Ashley with her divorce. The outlet said appearances on behalf of the former president are rare, and it also reported that Biden flies commercial when he travels by plane.
The Wall Street Journal is publishing a story today about the Biden family's finances as the post-presidency has proven less lucrative than he expected.
Biden spent July 4th at a luxury trailer park. He has to pay off a personal debt of $800,000. He pays legally… pic.twitter.com/FkGzQ30LMo
— Reagan Reese (@reaganreese_) September 16, 2025
President Biden rang the bell at Penn Medicine's Radiation Oncology Department in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, yesterday as he received radiation treatment for cancer at the same hospital. pic.twitter.com/Qhn55hqBYK
— Biden Activity Tracker (@BidenActivities) October 21, 2025
Biden completed radiation treatment in October, as his daughter Ashley Biden shared.
Biden ended the year with a fundraising event and spent the holidays with his family. The former president spoke at the International LGBTQ+ Leadership Conference in December, where he made the biggest gaffe of the year and ruined the “United States of America.”
NEW NAME WARNING:
Biden renames the US the “United States of Ameragottite”.
💀
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) December 5, 2025
The former president also posted a photo with his family on Christmas Eve that accidentally went viral because Biden was pushed into the background of the photo.
Wishing you a peaceful and joyful Christmas Eve filled with love. pic.twitter.com/OB5GouvxTJ
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) December 25, 2025
“I find it disrespectful to put an older family member in the background of a former president's social media photo,” Post Millennial's Andy Ngo wrote in response to the post.
