Is there credible evidence Joe Biden ever showered with his daughter?
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Executive summary
Ashley Biden has acknowledged a diary page describing “showers with my dad (probably not appropriate)” and confirmed the journal’s authenticity in a 2024 letter, which has been widely reported and cited in multiple outlets [1] [2]. Fact‑checks and reporting show the excerpt circulated publicly and was commented on by Ashley as part of broader claims that her writing was “distorted and manipulated” [1] [2].
1. What the primary source actually says — a short reading
A page from Ashley Biden’s personal diary that was publicized includes the line “showers with my dad (probably not appropriate),” and Ashley has acknowledged the diary is hers in a letter referenced by news coverage [1] [2]. That excerpt has been repeatedly cited by outlets and social posts as the basis for allegations; the text itself is limited to that short note and does not include further context in the excerpts circulated [2] [1].
2. How the daughter described the aftermath and the caveats she offered
Ashley Biden told reporters and legal authorities that the journal was hers but warned her writings were “constantly distorted and manipulated,” a statement reported in coverage of the diary’s authentication [1]. Fact‑checking pieces and follow‑ups note that while she confirmed authorship, she has contested how lines from the journal have been presented and used in public discourse [2] [1].
3. What media and fact‑checkers have done with the passage
Multiple outlets and fact‑checkers have reported the diary line verbatim and have traced its circulation online; Snopes and other verifiers have assessed reporting about the diary’s authenticity and content, treating the passage as real while examining claims built on it [3] [2]. Reporting also notes that the passage resurfaced repeatedly on social platforms and was sometimes framed without surrounding context [2] [4].
4. What the excerpt does—and does not—prove
The diary line is an admission by its author that she recalled “showers with my dad” and judged them “probably not appropriate” in the narrow sense of a personal recollection [1] [2]. Available sources do not mention additional corroborating details from the diary excerpt itself that would clarify timing, circumstances, intent, or whether the showers reflected routine family behavior, a medical necessity, grooming, or abuse; those inferences are not contained in the published line [2] [1].
5. How this line has been used in political and social media campaigns
Reporting documents that the passage has been amplified on social networks and cited in partisan outlets and viral posts; outlets like National File and Project Veritas material have been referenced in connection with wider dissemination [2]. Coverage warns that selective publication of diary lines has fueled politicized narratives, and Ashley Biden has said her writing was “distorted and manipulated,” an explicit claim that the raw excerpt was repurposed beyond its context [1] [2].
6. Standards of evidence and unresolved questions
From a journalistic standards perspective, a single diary line—without corroboration, contemporaneous reporting, or forensic context—does not by itself establish a criminal or abusive finding; it establishes an allegation or memory recorded by the author [2] [1]. Available sources do not mention criminal investigations or independent corroboration tied to this specific diary passage in the material provided here [2] [1].
7. Competing perspectives and implicit agendas to note
One perspective treats the passage as a credible personal admission worth amplifying; another emphasizes caution, noting Ashley’s warning about distortion and the lack of corroborating detail in the published excerpt [2] [1]. Some outlets have pushed the line as evidence of wrongdoing while others and fact‑checkers have focused on provenance, context, and whether the excerpt alone supports broader claims [2] [3]. The political utility of the passage—its power to shape perceptions of a public figure—creates an implicit agenda among actors who amplify it without fuller context [2].
8. Bottom line for readers
The diary passage attributed to Ashley Biden is published and she has acknowledged the journal is hers; it includes the sentence about “showers with my dad (probably not appropriate)” [1] [2]. However, available sources do not provide broader context or independent corroboration in the materials cited here, and Ashley herself warns that her entries have been distorted—meaning the line should not be treated as conclusive proof of criminal conduct absent corroborating evidence [1] [2].