 "The book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again' exposed how closely White House aides worked to conceal his deterioration from the public. File image/AP")
A soon-to-be-released book is lifting the lid on what really went on behind closed doors during the second half of Joe Biden’s presidency, exposing how closely White House aides worked to conceal his deterioration from the public.
The book titled ‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again’ reveals that senior White House officials quietly debated putting the president in a wheelchair, took extraordinary measures to prevent the 82-year-old from stumbling, and even kept the full extent of his deterioration hidden from some of his own staff.
Written by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, the book draws on over 200 interviews, mostly with top Democratic insiders, conducted after the 2024 election. It is slated to release on May 20.
Here’s what they found.
Biden’s aides were considering putting him in a wheelchair
In the second half of Joe Biden ’s presidency, his aides were so alarmed by his physical decline that they quietly discussed whether he should be placed in a wheelchair, according to the book.
Concerns over his halting walk and the risk of a public fall led some staffers to believe that, had he secured a second term, a wheelchair might eventually be necessary.
Biden’s personal doctor, Dr Kevin O’Connor, also raised red flags behind the scenes. As reported by Tapper and Thompson, O’Connor privately cautioned that if the president were to suffer a serious fall in 2023 or 2024, “a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery.”
However, during the 2024 re-election campaign, the idea was ultimately dismissed, largely because it would not have sent a good message to voters.
Biden once didn’t recognise George Clooney
One of the most striking examples of Joe Biden’s decline came backstage at a 2024 fundraiser, when the president, who had arrived at the event after a gruelling three-day trip to Italy for the G7 summit, was greeted by none other than Hollywood icon George Clooney.
But instead of lighting up at the sight of the actor, Biden seemed confused.
The president looked “severely diminished, as if he’d aged a decade since Clooney last saw him in December 2022,” write authors Tapper and Thompson.
An aide gently prompted him: “You know George.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Biden replied vaguely. “Thank you for being here.” “It seemed clear that the President had not recognised Clooney," the authors add.
This incident, they say, became one of the clearest signs of Biden’s physical and cognitive decline in the final stretch of his presidency.
The book also mentions that Biden often forgot the names of his longtime allies and aides, including Mike Donilon, a loyal aide who had worked for him since the early 1980s, Jake Sullivan, his national security adviser, and Kate Bedingfield, the White House communications director.
Biden ’totally f**ed’ Harris’ campaign
David Plouffe, former senior adviser to President Barack Obama, didn’t hold back when speaking about the chaos that surrounded Joe Biden’s decision to run for re-election.
In Original Sin, Plouffe is quoted as saying that Biden “totally f***ed” Vice President Kamala Harris’ shot at the White House by refusing to step aside sooner.
Calling the 107-day sprint against Donald Trump a “f***king nightmare,” Plouffe squarely blamed Biden for the turmoil. “It’s all Biden,” he told the authors. “He totally f**ked us.”
Plouffe revealed that he had repeatedly raised concerns about Biden’s mental and physical fitness, only to be told each time that the president was still capable of winning another term.
Team made plans to help Biden avoid a fall
In the later years of Joe Biden’s presidency, his team quietly put in place a series of precautions to avoid a fall.
According to the book, aides grew increasingly worried about the president tripping or stumbling during appearances.
To minimise the risk, Biden was encouraged to wear trainers more frequently for added stability. Handrails were installed on stages with steps, and staff members meticulously planned shorter walking routes to keep his movements brief and controlled.
They also stood close by during walks, ready to step in if he faltered, and gave him detailed visual briefings before events to ensure he knew exactly where and how to move.
“It wasn’t a straight line of decline; he had good days and bad,” the book notes. “But until the last day of his presidency, Biden and those in his innermost circle refused to admit the reality that his energy, cognitive skills, and communication capacity had faltered significantly. Even worse, through various means, they tried to hide it.”
Jill Biden shut down criticism on Biden’s health
As Joe Biden’s physical and mental decline became harder to ignore in the second half of his presidency, his inner circle grew tighter—and none tighter than the First Lady herself.
Jill Biden, a staunch defender of her husband, increasingly took part in decision-making as concerns mounted about the president’s age and capability, according to the book.
Much of the book’s sharpest criticism, after Biden himself, is reserved for his wife’s closest aide, Anthony Bernal. The authors describe Bernal as a gatekeeper who could instantly shut down any conversation around Biden’s declining health simply by warning, “Jill isn’t going to like this.”
In one revealing moment from 2022, the First Lady reportedly regretted staying silent when a donor suggested that Biden shouldn’t run for a second term.
“I can’t believe I didn’t defend Joe,” she told aides afterwards, vowing not to make the same mistake again, according to the New York Times’ account of the book.
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With input from agencies_