Joe Biden needed cheat-sheets to recognize Hillary Clinton and other A-list Democrats during his floundering presidency, it has been revealed. 

Unearthed note cards reveal the 82-year-old required photographs, names and mini-biographies on a number of household names. 

Surprisingly, even though she was the Democratic candidate for president in 2016, Biden needed a reminder about Clinton’s role as ‘the Secretary of State in the Obama-Biden administration’ with the help of notecards.

Other well-known individuals that Biden needed assistance identifying included the Governor of Illinois, JB Pritzker; the former Senate Majority Leader, Chuck Schumer; and the billionaire philanthropist, David Rubenstein.

Rubenstein is recognized as a long-time friend of the Biden family, with the president enjoying vacations at his expansive Nantucket residence as recently as November 2024.

Blockbuster actor Denzel Washington also needed a reminder, and was described to the president as ‘one of the greatest actors of the 21st century.’ 

The notecards were first reported by Fox News, which said they emerged during an investigation of National Archive documents into Biden’s alleged use of an ‘autopen’ to sign documents while in the White House. 

The unearthing of the cheat-sheets comes as Biden has struggled to find his feet since leaving the presidency, with a bombshell report last month finding that the octogenarian is facing mounting debts. 

Unearthed note cards revealed that Joe Biden needed cheat-sheets to recognize Hillary Clinton and other A-list Democrats during his floundering presidency

Shockingly, despite her household-name status as the Democratic nominee for president in 2016, Biden needed reminding that Clinton was also ‘the Secretary of State in the Obama-Biden administration’ on the notecards

The use of cheat-sheets is not uncommon among politicians, and they are often used while out on the campaign trail as candidates meet huge numbers of people per day. 

But at least some of the notecards appear to have been used by Biden during his day-to-day in the White House as recently as January, when he left office. 

Some cards were from an event handing the Presidential Medal of Freedom to a handful of famous recipients, including Clinton and Washington just weeks before Biden left the White House. 

Among the lesser known recipients on the list handed to Biden was chef Jose Andres. 

A former Biden staffer told Fox News in response to the revelation of the cheat-sheets that listing notable attendees at an event is ‘standard operating procedure for briefing materials.’ 

Referencing Schumer’s name on a card for an event also held in January to celebrate judicial nominations, the staffer questioned: ‘Should the staff not have told the President that Chuck Schumer was attending?’ 

Biden’s use of cheat-sheets has been documented in the past, and he has been pictured holding lists of prepared questions and photographs of pre-selected journalists’ faces for him to call on them

Other famous faces that Biden needed help with included Illinois Governor JB Pritzker 

On another card, Biden was given details of a question from ABC News reporter Mary Bruce. 

‘2024: How do YOU view the path forward? How do YOU think about YOUR place in history?’ the card read. 

‘Speaker McCarthy/Debt Limit: Depending on what happens with the House vote on the Speaker’s debt limit bill tomorrow, do do YOU anticipate moving forwards.’ 

The cards appeared to reference an event Biden held with the South Korean president in April 2023, where Bruce said: ‘You recently launched your re-election campaign. 

‘You’ve said questions about your age are ‘legitimate.’ And your response is always, ‘Just watch me.’ But the country is watching, and recent polling shows that 70 percent of Americans, including a majority of Democrats, believe you shouldn’t run again. 

‘What do you say to them? What do you say to those Americans who are watching and aren’t convinced?’ 

Biden’s use of cheat-sheets has been documented in the past, and he has been pictured holding lists of prepared questions and photographs of pre-selected journalists’ faces for him to call on them. 

The emergence of even Hillary Clinton’s name being needed adds another layer of scrutiny on Biden’s mental acuity while in office

The emergence of even Hillary Clinton’s name being needed adds another layer of scrutiny on Biden’s mental acuity while in office, after he was forced to drop out of his re-election campaign last year amid doubts over his fitness. 

Asked by Fox News about the cards, the White House drew comparisons to Donald Trump’s off-the-cuff style where he routinely takes questions from journalists without notes. 

‘President Trump gives unfettered access to the media and answers every question imaginable, without pre-screening the press questions or collecting reporters’ palm cards ahead of time like his incompetent predecessor,’ White House spokeswoman Taylor Rogers said. 

‘Unlike Joe Biden, President Trump is actually running our country, and he doesn’t ever shy away from taking on the fake news to deliver the truth.’