President Joe Biden, speaking to CBS News’ Norah O’Donnell on Friday, said that “there is no need” for Donald Trump to receive intelligence briefings any longer, citing his “erratic behavior.”
“What value is giving him an intelligence briefing? What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?” Biden said.
Banning an ex-president from receiving intelligence briefings is an unprecedented move. According to the New York Times, Biden is the first president in American history to deny the briefings to his predecessor. Former presidents Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama still receive the briefings regularly; it’s considered a courtesy and gives the sitting president the ability to solicit advice on classified matters from any of his predecessors.
Despite citing Trump’s “erratic behavior,” Biden claimed that such behavior is not necessarily related to the January 6 Capitol breach, which the president falsely called an “insurrection.”
It is possible that Trump couldn’t care less about being denied the briefings. He reportedly didn’t care much for them during his time as president. According to CNN, he was orally briefed only two or three times per week and may not have “fully or regularly read” the President’s Daily Brief.