Former U.S. President Joe Biden has secured a $10 million advance for a memoir detailing his time in office, according to a Wall Street Journal report. The deal, brokered by French publisher Hachette’s New York subsidiary, falls significantly short of the $60 million paid to Barack and Michelle Obama for their 2017 memoirs and trails Bill Clinton’s $15 million advance for a 2004 book. The forthcoming work—currently untitled and without a release date—has already drawn scrutiny over its authorship amid persistent questions about Biden’s cognitive health.
Fox News columnist David Marcus cast doubt on Biden’s capacity to produce the memoir independently, citing the president’s reported struggles during public appearances and interviews. “No one is getting a book’s worth of sensible commentary from Biden if they can’t even get a coherent 10-minute interview,” Marcus wrote, suggesting the text might instead be “ghostwritten” by aides. Biden, 82, who left office as the oldest-serving U.S. president, has repeatedly denied concerns about his mental fitness, stating earlier this month that he was “working like hell” on a 500-page manuscript.
Neither Hachette nor Biden’s representatives at Creative Artists Agency commented on the deal. The report arrives against a backdrop of heightened political tensions, with former President Donald Trump accusing Biden’s team in May of committing “treason” by allegedly exploiting his purported cognitive decline to push policies without his full awareness. Weeks later, Republican Senator Ron Johnson launched an investigation into claims that Biden’s aggressive prostate cancer diagnosis—disclosed publicly only recently—had been concealed by Democratic allies to avoid scrutiny during his presidency.
While Biden’s occasional verbal gaffes and physical stumbles fueled speculation about his health during his term, he consistently maintained his capability to govern. The memoir’s comparatively modest advance has sparked debate over whether publishers perceive reduced commercial appeal or reflect broader uncertainty about his role in crafting the narrative.
As the details emerge, the project underscores the intersection of political legacy, media scrutiny, and the lucrative market for presidential accounts. With Biden’s team silent on the allegations and opponents amplifying doubts, the memoir is poised to reignite debates about transparency and leadership that have defined much of his public life.
