(Ben Sellers, Headline USA) With former first lady Jill Biden making the rounds for a new memoir and former first son Hunter Biden vying to become a social-media star, the family of former President Joe Biden is foisting its way back into the spotlight.
And Democrats seem none too thrilled by the reminder about their de-facto party leader.
A report last week from the New York Post’s Page Six gossip column suggested that the 83-year-old former president may have gotten confused while taking his family to a trendy new Italian restaurant in New York City, instead winding up at a random joint across the street.
🚨 Biden NYC Dinner Mix-Up
Joe Biden took his family to a “random” Italian spot called Fumo on Tuesday night in the Upper East Side — instead of the famed celebrity hotspot Elio’s right across the street.
Jane Fonda (dining at Elio’s with Martha Stewart) was overheard joking,… pic.twitter.com/kE8dqDgYQE
— Paul A. Szypula 🇺🇸 (@Bubblebathgirl) June 6, 2026
“Biden was greeted by applause on his way into the restaurant, and by the time he left, a crowd had gathered,” Page Six reported. “They cheered him as he climbed into his car.”
The only problem: The restaurant in question was Fumo, which touts itself as a “neighborhood staple” at its nine Big Apple locations, with a $12 lunch special on pasta and a menu that boasts “crowd pleasers” like pizza and “fried mozz.”
Its Upper East Side locale lies directly across Second Avenue from Elio’s, a more high-end Italian alternative that includes fresh mozzarella made from water buffalo on its antipasto menu.
The mix-up reportedly prompted notorious liberal actress Jane Fonda — who was dining at Elio’s along with lifestyle guru Martha Stewart — to remark, “Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to be over here?”
Questions linger over whether Biden tried and was unable to secure a reservation at the more posh restaurant for a family event celebrating Dr. Jill’s book release. The staff at Elio’s told Page Six that they were not expecting Biden while “scolding us for not having anything better to report on,” it wrote.
Their Biden loyalties even prompted them to praise their cross-street rival, insisting that the Fumo location was “very popular” and was known for its artichokes. A review of the dinner menu by Headline USA was unable to identify any dishes that featured artichokes as a listed ingredient.
Jill Biden’s book release has riled some on the Left, in particular over her new claim that she thought her husband was having a seizure during his ill-fated June 27 CNN debate with Republican rival Donald Trump during the 2024 election.
Biden — who was long rumored to be in cognitive decline, despite his supporters’ insistence otherwise — delivered a dim performance that he initially attributed to illness and jetlag. But the failure proved to be the impetus for the Democrat establishment — led by former President Barack Obama and former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — to force him out of the race in favor of Vice President Kamala Harris.
A recent CNN poll showed that Biden’s net favorability remains deeply underwater, making him the least-popular Democrat president of at least the past 50 years.
CNN: Joe Biden left office tremendously unpopular and still remains so
Biden’s Net Favorablity Rating:
Jan 2025: 🔴 -22
Now: 🔴 -19He's by far most unpopular of any former Dem prez at this point after their presidency
Carter: 🟢 +22
Clinton: 🔴 -3
Obama: 🟢 +31
Biden: 🔴 -19 pic.twitter.com/DJ4x2CTeyt— OSZ (@OpenSourceZone) June 4, 2026
Biden himself interrupted one of his wife’s recent events to reveal that he plans a book release for September — just in time for early voting in the November midterm election.
Ben Sellers is a freelance writer and former editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/realbensellers.
