Ashley Biden, the daughter of former President Joe Biden, has filed for divorce from her husband, Dr. Howard Krein, ending more than 13 years of marriage, according to court records. The 44-year-old former first daughter submitted the filing Monday in Philadelphia’s Court of Common Pleas, though the reason for the split has not been publicly disclosed. Divorce records in Philadelphia are private. On the same day, Biden shared an Instagram post featuring a photo of herself walking through a park and flashing a thumbs-up, set to Beyoncé’s song “Freedom.” She also included a quote reflecting on personal growth: “New life, new beginnings, means new boundaries. New ways of being that won’t look or sound like they did before.”
Biden and Krein were introduced by her late older brother, Beau Biden, and married in Greenville, Delaware, in June 2012. Ashley publicly acknowledged her wedding while introducing her father at the 2020 Democratic National Convention, recalling his hands-on approach. “He was riding around in his John Deere 4-wheeler, fixing the place settings, arranging the plants, and he was very emotional,” she told the audience, highlighting the personal side of the former vice president. Meanwhile, Joe Biden is facing scrutiny over his use of the autopen to sign official documents. House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer raised concerns that the frequent use of an autopen could call into question the legality of some pardons and executive orders issued in Biden’s final months in office. Comer suggested that evidence from the committee’s investigation could be used to challenge certain legal acts, arguing that staff may have failed to confirm whether Biden fully understood the documents he signed.
Legal experts, including former Harvard Law professor Alan Dershowitz, noted that the Constitution specifies that bills must be “signed” by the president, raising questions about whether autopen signatures fulfill that requirement. Dershowitz said similar issues could arise with pardons, questioning whether the president personally authorized each act. Concerns about Biden’s mental fitness have been longstanding. His 2024 campaign debate performance was described as halting and disoriented, and Special Counsel Robert Hur’s 2025 report noted that Biden sometimes struggled to recall major events, including the death of his son Beau. Despite these concerns, Biden has defended his decisions, telling The New York Times that he personally approved every pardon, though aides confirmed he did not individually sign off on each name in the categorical pardons.
