Joe Biden Gets Backlash for Releasing New Memoir: 'The Autopen Strikes Again!'

Former President Joe Biden is facing swift backlash after announcing his upcoming memoir, Promise Me, America, which will chronicle his time in the White House and his decision to end his 2024 reelection campaign.

While Biden described the book as a personal reflection on the challenges of his presidency, many critics flooded social media with sarcastic comments, questioning whether he wrote the tome himself.

On Wednesday, July 15, Biden revealed the project in a post on social media.

"I've written a book about my time as President. PROMISE ME, AMERICA is the story of the decisions I made — and why I made them," he wrote about the memoir, available on November 17.

"It's about leading our country through extraordinary moments, choosing to run for re-election, and deciding to step aside," he continued. "Most of all, it's about my faith in the promise of America and the American people."

The announcement quickly sparked thousands of reactions online, with many critics mocking Biden's claim that he personally authored the book.

"The autopen strikes again!" one person wrote, referencing the machine used by presidents to reproduce signatures on official documents.

During Biden's presidency, critics repeatedly scrutinized his use of an autopen. President Donald Trump and other Republicans even argued that its use raised questions about who was authorizing certain presidential actions.

In November 2025, Trump wrote, "Any document signed by Sleepy Joe Biden with the Autopen, which was approximately 92 percent of them, is hereby terminated, and of no further force or effect. The Autopen is not allowed to be used if approval is not specifically given by the President of the United States."

Another user added, "We don't need to read it, we lived through it. How can I forget eggs at $12.99 a dozen."

A third commenter questioned Biden's involvement in the project, writing, "You couldn't even sign pardons??? No one believes you wrote or even narrated a book for a ghost writer."

Someone else joked, "Claude or ChatGPT? Be honest."

"Wait! I thought they said this man was so sick he couldn’t continue running for president. How is he able to write a book?" another questioned.

"Joe, you did not write that, my man; you slept while an intern wrote it," a user accused.

"You have no idea what day it is, much less write a book. You have been a phony your entire life, from plagiarism to corruption to theft. You should just sit the rest of the days out quietly, and you will be the most failed president in history," someone slammed.

Biden's book announcement came shortly after he and former first lady Jill Biden celebrated the Fourth of July with a getaway in Delaware.

On Monday, July 6, Jill, 75, posted a cheerful beach photo to Instagram, showing the pair smiling as they soaked up the holiday weekend.

"We hope you all had a wonderful Fourth of July weekend! 🇺🇸 Here's to carrying a little of that holiday joy into the week ahead," she wrote alongside the snapshot.

Joe also reflected on the nation's 250th anniversary in a separate Independence Day message, sharing a photo of himself and Jill watching fireworks together.

"Two hundred and fifty years ago, a group of Americans signed their names to a piece of parchment and made a promise no nation had ever made before: that we're all created equal," he wrote. "Happy 250th birthday, America. Our story isn't finished. Let's keep writing it together."

The couple's holiday appearance came amid ongoing public attention to Joe's health.

In May 2025, he shared he had stage four prostate cancer that spread to his bones. Since then, he has undergone radiation and hormone therapy.

In a June 1 interview on NBC's Today, Jill told Craig Melvin that he is "doing OK" despite the seriousness of his diagnosis.

"I think if he had just been, you know, diagnosed with prostate cancer, that's one thing, because that can be cured," she said. "But the fact that it metastasized to his bones, that makes it a whole different story."

"So I think Joe will live with cancer 'till the rest of his life," she added.

"The doctors did assured us he was healthy," Jill expressed. "And I saw him doing the job every single day. Every single day, he got up, he went into the office, he did the job. I saw him work hours into the night. Yes, I did see him slowing down a little bit when he got tired. Did he stutter a little bit at night? Yeah, sure, but he was still doing the job."