A forthcoming book by CNN journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson has exposed extensive efforts by White House aides to conceal President Joe Biden’s physical and cognitive decline during the second half of his presidency, raising serious questions about transparency at the highest levels of American government.
Titled Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, the book is set for release on May 20 and is based on over 200 interviews with Democratic insiders, including senior aides, campaign officials, and administration staff.
A Presidency Under Strain
According to the book, aides were so concerned about President Biden’s physical deterioration that they privately discussed the possibility of placing him in a wheelchair. These discussions intensified after Biden, then 81, tripped over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy in June 2023. His halting gait and balance issues prompted aides to take significant precautions to avoid further public falls, including outfitting him with sneakers, limiting walking distances, and providing handrails and visual briefings before events.
Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, reportedly acknowledged privately that another major fall could require long-term use of a wheelchair. O’Connor also expressed concern about the demands of the presidency, frequently urging staff to allow the president more rest. “He sometimes joked that Biden’s aides were trying to kill him, while he was trying to keep him alive,” the authors write.
Despite these concerns, O’Connor publicly maintained that Biden’s health and mental acuity were “excellent,” even after the president’s widely criticized debate performance against Donald Trump in July 2024 fueled doubts about his fitness to run for re-election.
“We Shielded Him From His Own Staff”
The book alleges a concerted effort by senior aides to shield Biden’s decline from both the public and internal White House staff. “We attempted to shield him from his own staff so many people didn’t realise the extent of the decline beginning in 2023,” one senior aide admitted.
Behind the scenes, tensions rose. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is said to have confronted Biden at his Delaware home after the debate disaster, warning him that another failed campaign would destroy his legacy. “Fifty years of amazing, beautiful work goes out the window,” Schumer reportedly told Biden, adding, “you will go down in American history as one of the darkest figures.” In response, Biden is quoted as saying, “You have bigger balls than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“He Totally F***ed Us”
The fallout from Biden’s late decision to withdraw from the 2024 race is another central theme of the book. Democratic strategist David Plouffe, who joined Kamala Harris’s campaign after Biden dropped out just 107 days before the election, described the situation as a “f***ing nightmare.”
“It’s all Biden,” Plouffe told the authors. “He totally f***ed us.”
Biden’s delayed withdrawal left Democrats scrambling to mount a viable campaign against Donald Trump, who ultimately regained the White House. Many within the party believe earlier acknowledgment of the president’s condition could have changed the outcome.
A Legacy in Jeopardy
Original Sin paints a sobering picture of a presidency struggling under the weight of age and secrecy. As public scrutiny continues to grow around the decisions made inside Biden’s inner circle, the revelations threaten to redefine the narrative of the 46th president’s final years in office — not just as a time of political challenge, but of concealed crisis.
The White House has not yet commented on the book’s claims. With its official release just days away, Original Sin is expected to spark a fresh wave of debate over age, accountability, and the responsibilities of those closest to power.
