It looks like the once-celebrated bromance between former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden is hitting the skids.
ABC News reporter Jonathan Karl told podcaster Katie Couric that the two don’t even appear to be speaking right now — a pretty stunning fallout for the duo Democrats once treated like a political love story.
“Have you talked to Joe Biden since he left the White House at all, John?” Couric asked during a recent podcast episode.
“He was out to dinner in Washington, DC, at Cafe Milano. I happened to be there. You know who else was there was Barack Obama. But they didn’t cross paths,” Karl answered.
“What’s their relationship like?” Couric asked.
“Really bad. Really bad,” Karl replied.
“Biden and the people around him very much blame Barack Obama for the effort to push Biden out of the campaign,” Karl continued. “I had extensive interviews with Hunter Biden for this book, and Hunter Biden is just, he’s got real anger towards Barack Obama, and I think he’s channeling not just Hunter, but the Biden family. He believes that, for instance, the George Clooney op-ed, that was such a big moment where Clooney calls on Biden to drop out.”
Hunter Biden, the former president’s son, also told Karl that he became incensed when Obama led Biden off the stage after they both appeared at a fundraiser, saying, “You don’t grab the President of the United States like that.”
“So it’s not a good relationship. If they had wanted to see each other, they absolutely would have,” Karl added.
Karl went on to say that Biden and the people around him genuinely believed he could still win the 2024 election — even after that disastrous debate where his cognitive decline was on full display for the entire country to see.
“By the way, when he finally made that decision, he calls Kamala Harris and says he’s dropping out,” Karl explained. “Kamala Harris really pushes him to make the endorsement immediately, which he ultimately does.”
Karl added:
There’s been a lot of talk on how Kamala Harris sat down and made over 100 phone calls to get people to support her campaign and to get started. But Biden made a whole bunch of phone calls that night, too. I was astounded to hear that one person he did not call was Barack Obama, the person that really made it possible for him to be President by making him vice President. Obama did call, I learned, to talk to Biden. He didn’t take the call, and the two of them did not speak for weeks. They eventually spoke right before the convention. But can you imagine? I mean, literally not taking the call.
WATCH:
Biden was reportedly furious with Obama and then–House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for pushing him out of the 2024 race.
But the bad blood goes back years. Tensions between the two have been simmering since 2016, when Obama discouraged Biden from running and all but told him he couldn’t beat Hillary Clinton. Then in 2020, Obama dragged his feet on endorsing Biden — something Biden took as a sign that his old boss didn’t think he had what it took.
The frustration didn’t stop there. Biden was reportedly irritated that Obama didn’t even bother calling him after his catastrophic debate performance against Trump. And according to one White House official, Obama “created tension during his visits, acting as if he still held authority.”
In short, Biden seems convinced Obama was never truly in his corner — and he’s nursing a serious grudge about it.
Maybe it’s time for another beer summit… though this one might need stronger refreshments.