In a political environment dominated by narratives, optics, and timing, former Kamala Harris aide Ashley Etienne made a surprising declaration on NBC’s Meet the Press this weekend: that the release of audio from President Joe Biden’s interview with then-Special Counsel Robert Hur could actually benefit the Democratic Party.
The audio, which emerged late Friday, closely mirrors Hur’s written observations—that Biden appeared forgetful and struggled to recall basic facts, including the year his son Beau died. Hur, who declined to press charges in the classified documents case, cited Biden’s memory lapses as a key reason a jury would see him as a “well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory.” The media’s response was near-unanimous: the audio confirmed rather than contradicted Hur’s troubling portrait.
Still, Etienne—who has previously served high-profile roles in the Biden-Harris administration and under Speaker Nancy Pelosi—painted a different picture. “This is good for Joe Biden,” she said, before clarifying that the timing worked in Democrats’ favor. Her reasoning? The damage, whatever it may be, is occurring early enough in Biden’s term to be forgotten by the time election season heats up.
Guest on @MeetThePress, @AshleyEtienne09, contends re audio tapes of Biden: “It’s clear to me that President Trump released the tape because he’s trying to distract from his unprecedented disastrous first 100 days.” Moreover, “it’s good for Joe Biden, it’s good for the Democratic… pic.twitter.com/FfPk5LPj2l
— Brent Baker 🇺🇲🇺🇦 🇮🇱 (@BrentHBaker) May 18, 2025
Etienne also put forth a strategic twist: that the release of the audio may have come at the urging of Donald Trump to distract from his own troubles.
“It’s clear to me that President Trump released the tape because he’s trying to distract from his disastrous – unprecedented – disastrous first 100 days,” she argued, though the audio’s release came from the Department of Justice following pressure from congressional Republicans.
Whether that argument gains traction remains to be seen, especially given that the content of the tape—Biden stumbling through answers and searching for names and timelines—only solidified concerns that have long simmered below the surface about the president’s mental acuity. And with swing voters and independents increasingly skeptical, even brief moments of perceived vulnerability can have lasting effects.
Perhaps the most telling part of Etienne’s commentary came in her acknowledgment of deeper Democratic disarray. “The problem with the Democratic Party right now is that we’ve not produced an autopsy,” she admitted. The absence of a formal assessment of the 2024 election’s outcome, or of Biden’s political liabilities, has made it difficult for the party to unify around a coherent message or successor.
What Etienne seems to be signaling—intentionally or not—is that Democrats are still in damage-control mode. Even if Biden stays atop the ticket, the lingering unease over his health and sharpness is not going away. And if the party opts to pivot, there’s no clearly defined process, strategy, or consensus on how to do so without fracturing the coalition.