Joe Biden's memoir release date spares Dems a midterm distraction
WASHINGTON - Former President Joe Biden's memoir chronicling his four years in the White House, called "Promise Me, America," is set for release on Nov. 17, two weeks after the midterm elections, his publisher said.
The book, published by Little, Brown and Company, comes as Democrats are still debating Biden's initial decision to run for reelection despite concerns about his age, only to drop out less than four months before the election to allow Vice President Kamala Harris to become the nominee.
The post-midterm release will spare Democratic candidates from having to revisit any questions raised by the book during their campaigns to regain control the House and Senate. And it also means any media tour Biden goes on to promote the book would seemingly take place after the election.
In a two-minute video teasing its release, the 46th president said the memoir is about "the challenges we face as a nation, about the decisions I made, and why I made them."
He said the book covers his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, efforts to rebuild the U.S. economy, the political aftermath of the Jan. 6 Capitol attack, ending U.S. military operations in Afghanistan and his support for Ukraine after Russia's invasion.
"It's about why I chose to run for reelection, and why I chose to step aside," Biden said. "Most of all, it's about my faith in the promise in America – the promise we made to those who've gone before us and to honor their sacrifice. The promise we've made to one and another, and to treat everyone with dignity and respect."
Some Democrats blame Biden's initial decision to run for a second term – before ending his campaign 107 days before the election – for helping pave the way to President Donald Trump's return to power.
The now-83-year-old's reluctance to drop out earlier exposed a diminished president to the American people during a disastrous June 2024 debate performance against Trump that showed him struggle to piece together answers. When he finally dropped out one month later amid pressure from top Democrats, Harris faced a condensed timeframe to rapidly mount a campaign.
Biden's book follows the June 2 release of first lady Jill Biden's memoir "View From the East Wing," which includes a chilling reaction to her husband's disastrous debate performance. "'Oh my God, he's having a stroke.' Jill Biden later said in an interview on CBS News Sunday as she discussed her book.
Joe Biden was diagnosed in May 2025 with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to the bone.
"I've spent a lot of time with my family. I'm dealing with a cancer diagnosis, and I've been getting treatment, and it's been going really well," Biden said in the video, thanking people for their thoughts, prayers and well wishes.
Although Biden has mostly stayed out of the limelight after his White House exit, the former president hasn't shied away from criticism of Trump, who Biden defeated in the 2020 election.
"Whoa, what a loser," Biden said in June at a Democratic fundraiser in Maryland, accusing Trump of obsessing over "vanity projects" including the Kennedy Center, his White House ballroom and planned triumphal arch, while "hiring his own pool guy to fix the Reflecting Pool."
Reach Joey Garrison @joeygarrison.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden's memoir release date spares Dems a midterm distraction
Reporting by Joey Garrison, USA TODAY / USA TODAY
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This story was originally published July 15, 2026 at 8:55 AM.