The book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson alleges that White House officials, along with Biden’s family, concealed signs of his physical and cognitive decline during his presidency, particularly in 2023–2024, as he pursued re-election. Based on interviews with over 200 sources, mostly anonymous Democratic insiders, the book claims:
- Efforts to Shield Biden: Aides restricted access to Biden, limiting interactions with Cabinet members, senior staff, and Democratic officials to minimize visibility of his “non-functioning” moments. His schedule was tightly controlled, with shorter meetings or cancellations on “bad days,” and public appearances were heavily scripted to avoid unscripted settings.
- Physical and Cognitive Decline: The book details incidents like Biden failing to recognize actor George Clooney at a 2024 fundraiser or forgetting names of long-time aides like Mike Donilon. It also claims aides discussed using a wheelchair due to Biden’s spinal degeneration and halting gait, though no special treatment was deemed necessary per his physician.
- Beau Biden’s Cancer: The authors allege Biden hid the severity of his son Beau’s 2013 glioblastoma diagnosis, downplaying it as a “small lesion” when it was a “tumor slightly larger than a golf ball,” to maintain Beau’s image as Delaware’s attorney general. This is cited as evidence of the Biden family’s pattern of health-related secrecy.
- Impact on 2024 Election: The book argues Biden’s decision to run at 81 was the “original sin,” with his June 2024 debate performance against Trump exposing his decline, shocking voters and Democratic leaders, and leading to his withdrawal three weeks later.
- Biden’s Team Response: A Biden spokesperson refuted claims, stating no evidence shows Biden was unable to perform presidential duties due to mental decline, emphasizing his effectiveness as president. Biden and Jill Biden, in public appearances, denied cognitive issues, with Jill asserting he worked hard daily.
Critical Analysis: The book relies heavily on anonymous sources, raising questions about bias and verifiability, especially since Biden’s office was not contacted for fact-checking. While it documents specific anecdotes, it lacks definitive evidence of decisions compromised by cognitive issues. Some Democrats argue the focus on Biden’s decline distracts from current priorities, while others believe acknowledging it could rebuild voter trust. The narrative aligns with earlier reports, like a December 2024 Wall Street Journal investigation, which detailed similar efforts to manage Biden’s limitations from the start of his term.
Context: The book’s release on May 20, 2025, coincided with Biden’s announcement of stage four metastatic prostate cancer on May 18, 2025, adding complexity to the narrative about his health. The allegations have sparked debate about transparency in leadership, though Biden’s team insists his record demonstrates competence.
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Members of Former President Joe Biden’s Inner Circle “Weren’T Telling The Truth” when describing himself as “sharp,” focused “and” detail-oriented, “Axios National Political Correspondent Alexdent Alexn SAIDEDENDENTEDENDEN ALEX Thompson Sunday – adding that the media fell short in challenging the narrative.
The co-author of the new book “Original sin,” which details what many view as a calculated, year-long effort to conceal The Former President’s Decline In the run-up to the 2024 election, Joined “Fox News Sunday” to Shed Light on the Inner Workings of the Biden White House.
“They Weren’T Telling The Truth, and I Think The Book Really Conclusively Shows What was Going on Behind the Scenes,” He Said, Weighing in on a Series of Series of Statements from Top Beden Office Security sec. Alejandro Mayorkas, Former Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Former Chief of Staff Ron Klain-Who, At Various Times, Portrayed Biden AS Intellectly Sharp and Fully in Complus.
Axios Reporter Pushes Back on Biden’s Denial of Mental Decline, Saying White House Insides Disagree
Us President joe biden looks down as he participations in the first presidential debate of the 2024 elections with former us President and Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump at CNN’S Studios in Atlanta, Georgia, on June 27, 2024. (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP)
Jean-Pierre even dismissed “Right-Wing Critics” by Blaming “Cheap Fake” Videos and selectively edited media.
But, according to thompson, the reality bersed doors Told a different story.
“Throughout 2023 and 2024, there were steps taken to Increasingly shield joe biden – Not just from the public, but from members of his own cabinet, members of his own Senior Staff, “He said.
“One white house official who left in 2024 told us that they left in part trust they were not comfortable with how they were trying to shield the extent of the decline.”
Jake Tapper’s Past Coverage of Biden’s Cognitive Decline Under Scrutiny Ahead of His New Book
The book “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again,” by jake tapper and alex thompson are on display for Sale for Sale at AT AT AT AT ATE ATE AKSPSTORE on May 20, 2025, 2025, 2025, City. (Angela Weiss/AFP)
Thompson Said Biden’s Condition BECAME HARCAME HARCAME to Conceal as Time Went on, and the Now Infamous Debate Performance Against AGIANS AGIANST A Candidate Donald Trump in June 2024 SHATERED ANY REMANING INy
“The joe biden that people is on that debate stage… I think the book really shows it was not the first time of hear ‘debate biden,’ and there was intelligencely frantic efforts to make sure that the public did not see ‘Debate biden’ who biden ‘who the public did see that he was aging, “He content.
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Thompson said biden’s debate performance was luckely a “shock” to millions of Americans who finally when the “Extected” of the Slippage.
Fox News Digital has written extended back to the 2020 President Campaign About Former President
https://www.foxnews.com/media/author-exposes-frantic-efforts-hide-bidens-cognitive-decline