Comedian Dana Carvey, who played former President Joe Biden on “Saturday Night Live,” revealed that many comics were well aware of the then-president’s mental deterioration.
Carvey, who returned to SNL during the 2024-2025 season to portray Biden alongside Maya Rudolph’s Kamala Harris, opened up about his experience on his “Fly on the Wall” podcast with co-host David Spade.
“I knew that he was compromised mentally. I mean, it was obvious,” Carvey said bluntly during a conversation with guest Julie Bowen. “But it was a delicate thing in the comedy world.”
“A lot of people did not want to do anything that would kind of ding him in like an awkward way,” he noted.
Interesting to listen to Dana Carvey speak about playing the character of the character that was Joe Biden…. pic.twitter.com/tx8iQn00Pw
— Joe Rambo (@BrainStorm_Joe) July 1, 2025
He said the challenge was in making Biden funny while staying true to what viewers were actually seeing.
“If I can make Biden funny to everybody, then I am where I want to be,” he said. “To make it funny, it had to be recognizable and so there’s certain things I did not include in my package.”
It took Carvey two years to refine his Biden impersonation, he claimed, though eventually, it became one of his favorites to perform.
Dana Carvey as Joe Biden on SNL — his first appearance on the show in eight years.pic.twitter.com/adVeli5U7Q
— CONSEQUENCE (@consequence) September 29, 2024
He utilized signature Biden phrases like “I’m not kidding around here” and “I’m being serious.”
“It was a real challenge to make it acceptable,” Carvey said.
“I’ll pop ya. I’ll give you a knuckle sandwich. I know how to do it. I can make sandwiches. And guess what. Here’s the deal.”
-Dana Carvey doing the Biden we should have had the last 4 years on SNL pic.twitter.com/hQikTecee9
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) October 13, 2024
Biden’s mental decline became a centerpiece of national conversation after his disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump in June 2024.
Just weeks later, Biden officially withdrew from the presidential race, opening the door for Kamala Harris to become the new Democratic nominee.
A book released by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” reportedly details shocking episodes of Biden’s cognitive decline hidden from the public for years.
Biden loses train of thought, stumbles on words for 30 seconds during debate with Trump.
Follow: @AFpost pic.twitter.com/KGo96yupzM
— AF Post (@AFpost) June 28, 2024
Despite stepping down from the 2024 race, Biden made an appearance in California this week, offering an hour-long speech to human resources professionals.
During his remarks, the former president lamented what he described as the undoing of his legacy under the Trump administration.
“Many of the things I worked so damn hard, that I thought I changed in the country, are changing so rapidly,” Biden said.
The former president also claimed that world leaders continue to reach out to him.
“I’m getting calls. I’m not going to go into it, I can’t, from a number of European leaders asking me to get engaged,” he remarked. “I’m not, but I’m giving advice. Because things are different.”
“You don’t see me out there publicly doing a lot of this. But I’m also dealing with a lot of Democrats and Republican colleagues, all of them, wanting to talk, not because they think I have the answer, just to bounce things off me,” he claimed.
“I’m seeing a lot of officeholders… I’m not looking for them. They asked to see me, I see them.”
Biden also touted NATO’s expansion during his term, noting Finland and Sweden joined the alliance in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. While in office, he supported billions in foreign aid for Ukraine.
However, President Trump has taken a tougher line with NATO, pressing member nations to increase defense contributions.
At the recent G7 summit in Canada, Trump convinced all NATO members but Spain to raise defense spending to 5% of GDP, a figure that includes core defense, infrastructure, and defense industry support.
White House spokesperson Anna Kelly fired back at Biden’s claims, stating, “Absolutely no one is calling Joe Biden for advice because his disastrous foreign policy left America weaker than ever before.”
“Thanks to President Trump, NATO allies have made a historic 5% defense spending pledge, Iran’s nuclear capabilities are obliterated, and our country’s standing on the world stage is restored,” she added.
In San Diego, Biden said he has been writing a memoir and is “working like hell” to finish the 500-page project, which his publisher wants by March.
Back on social media Thursday, Biden blasted the Republican tax and spending bill passed by the House, calling it “reckless” and “cruel.”
“The Republican budget bill is not only reckless — it’s cruel. It slashes Medicaid and takes away health care from millions of Americans,” he wrote on X.
The Republican budget bill is not only reckless — it’s cruel. It slashes Medicaid and takes away health care from millions of Americans. It closes rural hospitals and cuts food assistance for our veterans and seniors. It jacks up energy bills. And it could trigger deep cuts to…
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) July 3, 2025
“It closes rural hospitals and cuts food assistance for our veterans and seniors. It jacks up energy bills. And it could trigger deep cuts to Medicare while driving up the deficit by $4 trillion. All of this to give a massive tax break to billionaires.”
“Working people deserve better,” he added.