On Friday, U.S. President Donald Trump declared that he would "immediately" revoke former President Joe Biden’s security clearance. As a result, Biden will no longer have access to classified intelligence information, a privilege typically extended to former presidents. Shortly after taking office, Trump voiced his disapproval of Biden’s decision to grant pardons to his family members and certain well-known individuals who are part of Trump’s so-called “enemy list.”

“There is no need for Joe Biden to continue receiving access to classified information,” Donald Trump posted on Truth Social. “Therefore, we are immediately revoking Joe Biden’s Security Clearances, and stopping his daily Intelligence Briefings,” he further said. Biden's office has not yet responded to Trump's announcement.

Interestingly, Biden himself set the precedent for cutting off a former president from intelligence briefings. Four years earlier, he directed U.S. intelligence officials to stop providing briefings to Trump, citing the former president’s “erratic behaviour” following his 2020 election defeat. It is important to note that while presidents do not have security clearances, they have traditionally received courtesy briefings on an “as-needed basis.”

In the past, presidents typically relied on this provision before travelling overseas or meeting foreign leaders. However, it remains uncertain whether Biden has asked for or been given any such briefings since leaving office last month.

One month after the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021, Biden stated in an interview with CBS News that Trump should be denied intelligence briefings, citing his “erratic behaviour unrelated to the insurrection.” “I just think that there is no need for him to have the intelligence briefings. What value is giving him an intelligence briefing?” Biden questioned. “What impact does he have at all, other than the fact he might slip and say something?” he further said.

In his announcement on Saturday, Trump stated that his decision to revoke Biden’s security clearance was influenced by former special counsel Robert Hur’s report on Biden’s handling of classified documents. However, Trump misrepresented Hur’s findings, claiming that the former prosecutor “revealed that Biden suffers from ‘poor memory’ and could not be trusted with sensitive information.”

Trump’s statement referred to a section in Hur’s report where the special counsel explained that he chose not to charge Biden for keeping national defence documents. Hur reasoned that Biden’s lawyers could have argued he was a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” which would likely have led to an acquittal in court.

Trump faced charges of willful retention of national defence information, conspiracy and obstruction of justice. However, he returned to the White House before the case could even go to trial. Concluding his post, he wrote, “JOE, YOU’RE FIRED. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”