Former President Joe Biden has reportedly been flouting Amtrak etiquette on his beloved rail commute as he infuriates other passengers with his antics.
The 82-year-old has been commuting between his Delaware home and a government-provided Washington DC office on a weekly basis in recent times.
But not everyone is happy the former commander-in-chief is back riding the rails, as he has reportedly been breaking Amtrak’s strict rules on noise in its silent sections.
‘He was talking in the quiet car!’ one frustrated Amtrak passenger told the New York Post.
The outlet further alleged that despite Biden’s long history with rail travel, earning him the nickname ‘Amtrak Joe’ as he famously commuted on the rail throughout his 36 years in the Senate, he has forgotten other Amtrak norms.
Biden recently asked for ice cream as a snack from the train’s cafe, not knowing it doesn’t serve his favorite snack.
In recent weeks, social media users have shared random sightings of the former president on Amtrak, seemingly in disbelief he takes the low-key route to DC.
But the reason for his repeat trips back to his DC office have also been confusing observers, as many question what he is working on since leaving office.
Although some say Biden’s Amtrak trips are ruining their commutes, one witness told the Post that it is not entirely his fault.
‘If he’s talking, it’s because he’s constantly approached,’ they said.
‘That is always a criticism of him — that he’s too soft spoken! No winning.’
Since dropping out of the 2024 election over concerns about his age and cognitive decline, several former staffers now say they are confused at what he is doing on his weekly trips back to DC.
‘It’s really a mystery,’ a former Biden aide said.
‘They’re supposed to be setting up library stuff but no one has heard anything. We’re all wondering the same thing because he doesn’t go to restaurants or anything public around here.’
An insider told the Post that he often spends time in the office and calls Democrats to pass the time, however many may wish to avoid being too closely tied to the former president following the election drubbing in November.
‘He’s also been attending events which are sometimes coordinated through the office,’ they said.
‘He was just in Galveston, Texas, to attend a Juneteenth service as a recent example. Separately, he’s working on his book and library and foundation phases of post-presidency.’
It comes as Biden has faced a torrid few months since leaving the White House, as former staffers quickly came out to criticize his presidency and apparent cognitive decline.
He was diagnosed with stage four cancer in May, with doctors saying the disease has already spread to his bones.
This month, the former White House physician to President Barack Obama, Dr. Jeffrey Kuhlman, spoke out on the health rumors as he admitted that Biden should have undergone far more stringent cognitive testing during his presidency.
Kuhlman didn’t mince words warning that Biden should have been subjected to extensive annual neurocognitive exams and that the results should be made public.’
My position is that a 78-year-old candidate, Trump at the time, an 82-year-old president [Biden], would both benefit from neurocognitive testing,’ Kuhlman stated, noting how age-related decline is inevitable.
‘Any politician over the age of 70 has normal age-related cognitive decline.’
Kuhlman, the author of Transforming Presidential Healthcare, has been making these recommendations for nearly a year – notably publishing them in a New York Times op-ed on the very day Biden bowed out of the 2024 race.
Despite multiple detailed physicals during Biden’s time in office, Kuhlman pointed out that none included neurocognitive assessments like the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) – a basic test famously taken and ‘aced’ by President Trump.
‘I have no doubt that President Trump aced it,’ Kuhlman remarked.
Yet Biden’s evaluations, spanning five to six single-spaced pages and referencing 10 to 20 specialists, conspicuously omitted any serious cognitive screening.
