A high-profile ABC News journalist and Democrat insider says the relationship between Barack Obama and Joe Biden has collapsed to the point of open estrangement.
Jonathan Karl, speaking to Katie Couric on her podcast, said a recent incident in Washington, D.C., has now made that rift impossible to ignore.
Karl said the two men were spotted at Café Milano last month and came so close that their security teams had to make room for each other.
However, Obama and Biden never spoke, never approached, and never even acknowledged one another.
Couric appeared stunned.
“They didn’t interact at all?” she asked.
“They were in the same restaurant?
“What’s their relationship like?”
Karl didn’t mince words: “Really bad. Really bad.”
According to Karl, Biden and those around him “very much blame Barack Obama for the effort to push Biden out of the campaign” during the 2024 election cycle.
Karl’s comments come as he promotes his new book, “Retribution.”
The book chronicles the behind-the-scenes collapse of the Democratic Party’s 2024 strategy.
Hunter Biden Was Furious at Obama’s Treatment of His Father
Karl also recounted a major flashpoint in the deteriorating relationship.
He noted that Hunter Biden was reportedly enraged after Obama placed his hand on Biden’s arm and guided him offstage at a fundraiser last summer.
The moment was widely interpreted as making Biden look frail and incapable.
At the time, Biden was still the presumptive nominee, and Democrat operatives were trying to downplay concerns about his age and viability.
Behind the scenes, according to Karl, the moment only deepened anger toward Obama.
Biden Avoided Calling Obama After Dropping Out
Karl added another stunning detail by revealing that when Biden stepped aside and worked phones to consolidate support behind Kamala Harris, he did not call Obama at all.
“I was astounded to hear that the one person he did not call was Barack Obama, the person that really made it possible for him to be president by making him vice president,” Karl said.
He noted that Obama did attempt to reach out.
“Obama did call, I learned, to talk to Biden,” he said.
“He didn’t take the call, and the two of them did not speak for weeks.”
Couric summed it up, noting that it is “so dysfunctional.”
WATCH:
A Deepening Rift Inside a Fractured Democratic Establishment
Karl’s account echoes earlier reporting from Politico, which first noted the café incident.
Combined with new revelations about Obama’s behind-the-scenes role in urging Biden to withdraw, Karl says the relationship between the two former Democrat leaders is now in tatters.
The two men, once portrayed as inseparable, have reportedly not repaired the divide.
Karl’s new insights suggest the rupture is more severe than previously believed.
This widening rift comes at a moment when Democrats continue to face internal chaos following their 2024 collapse, leaving the party without a unified leadership structure and fueling ongoing tensions among past power brokers.
According to Karl, Obama and Biden’s estrangement is no mere personality dispute.
It reflects a party scrambling to manage blame, legacy, and political survival.
Our comment section is restricted to members of the Slay News community only.
To join, create a free account HERE.
If you are already a member, log in HERE.