Betsy DeVos Describes ‘Gross’ Encounter with Biden in Book Excerpt: ‘Feeble Attempt to Intimidate Me’
Yet another former member of Donald Trump’s administration is releasing a book, this time once Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos. In an excerpt released from Hostages No More: The Fight For Education Freedom and the Future of the American Child, DeVos describes a “gross” encounter with President Joe Biden, one in which she was wheelchair-bound as Biden supposedly laid his forehead on hers.
DeVos, who served as the secretary of education from 2017 to 2021, met Biden after they both gave speeches at the U.S. Conference of Mayors in 2019.
She recalls in the excerpt — first published by the Washington Examiner on Tuesday — the former president approaching her and asking her about the bicycle accident that landed her in a wheelchair.
“‘Do you have any hardware?’ I told him I had a very fine three-inch screw as the result of my accident,” she wrote. That is when things got “uncomfortable” for DeVos as Biden brought himself in close to tell an odd joke.
“Then, this casual encounter turned into something totally unexpected and uncomfortable,” DeVos wrote. “Biden leaned down, put his hands on my shoulders, and pressed his forehead to mine. He lingered. As I tried to figure out how I could roll the wheelchair and myself away, he said, ‘I have nine screws in my shoulder. But everyone thinks they’re in my head.'”
DeVos wrote that an aide got the impression the two were good friends, considering the forehead touching and close proximity of the conversation, but the education secretary said it was the first time they’d ever met.
“Yes, it was gross, and it was also a feeble attempt to intimidate me,” DeVos recalled. “I think about that encounter every time I hear Biden talk about dismantling our reforms of Title IX.”
In a Tuesday tweet, DeVos took things further and said “gross” may not be a word that goes far enough to describe the bizarre moment between her and Biden.
“Gross” may not even be a strong enough word.
Glad to finally be able to tell my side of the story. And there any many more stories to tell…
Available for pre-order now: https://t.co/lpEa7uhkLy https://t.co/3tzaKanmMd
— Betsy DeVos (@BetsyDeVos) May 24, 2022
DeVos has had trouble with the president she last served too, having resigned from the White House following the Capitol riot on January 6, 2021. In her letter of resignation, DeVos accused Trump pf pushing rhetoric that worsened the situation. Her book will release on June 21 from Center Street Publishing.
