It turns out that former President Joe Biden refused to speak with his predecessor, Barack Obama, for several weeks both before and after he infamously decided to drop out of the 2024 presidential race.

This information, according to the New York Post, comes from a new book written by ABC News chief Washington correspondent Jonathan Karl.

The book is titled, "Retribution: Donald Trump and the Campaign That Changed America."

After he dropped out, Biden made calls to about 50 of his most important supporters and allies, the people who he believed had made it possible for him to become president ... One person he didn’t call, and, in fact, would not talk to for weeks: Barack Obama…

— Jonathan Karl (@jonkarl) October 24, 2025

The inside scoop

According to the Daily Express, an excerpt from the book claims that Biden avoided Obama in the weeks leading up to his decision to drop out of the running and that he continued to avoid Obama after the decision.

Per the outlet:

A new book has revealed that former President Joe Biden allegedly avoided speaking with former President Barack Obama in the weeks leading up to and following his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race. The book reveals that Biden declined to communicate with his previous superior for nearly a month after nominating Kamala Harris as Vice President.

But, there's more.

The Express continues:

The revealing new book also suggests that Biden's relationship with Obama, aged 64, deteriorated when rumors arose that the ex-president was behind Hollywood star George Clooney's damning New York Times op-ed, which urged Biden to exit the race.

This came after Biden's debate with Trump.

The excerpt

The Post provides excerpts from the book.

One reads:

Obama had been trying to get in touch with Biden for about two weeks, but his calls had not been returned. Obama reached out again after Biden suspended his campaign, but the two men would not end up speaking until shortly before the Democratic National Convention four weeks later.

It sure would be interesting to get Biden's side of the story as to why he gave Obama the silent treatment.

The Post reports:

The excerpt describes Biden as relying mostly on his inner circle of advisers and immediate family members in the period before he ended his candidacy due to bleak polling data and an ever-growing list of elected Democrats calling for him to bow out.

Neither Biden nor Obama nor any of their spokespeople have commented on this revelation from Karl's book.