For years, Joe Biden’s closest allies concealed signs of his deteriorating condition—and at times even from the president himself—as well as his steep decline in popularity. Publicly, such discussions were considered betrayal and a gift to Republicans. Loyalty prevailed over honesty—until it was too late. The book The Original Sin by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson recounts how the White House fell into self-deception, lost the campaign, and surrendered control over its consequences.
Joe Biden’s inner circle spent years concealing signs of his deteriorating health—and withheld from him the extent of his falling approval ratings. This may not have guaranteed Donald Trump’s return to power, but it certainly smoothed the way. That is the central claim of a new book by journalists Jake Tapper (CNN) and Alex Thompson (Axios), The Original Sin: President Biden’s Frailty, the Cover-up, and His Catastrophic Decision to Run for a Second Term. The book was released just days before Biden publicly disclosed a cancer diagnosis.
Biden’s cognitive issues, the authors write, were evident as early as the 2020 campaign: he stumbled over words, forgot names, and mixed up dates.
His team sought to incorporate this into a crafted image—a kind, slightly absent-minded elder statesman whose experience inspired trust. In January 2021, Biden became the oldest president in U.S. history, at 78 years and two months.
Among Democrats, raising concerns about his decline was considered disloyal—almost tantamount to aiding Republicans. Meanwhile, Trump’s supporters were openly accusing Biden of dementia.
In January 2023, classified documents from Biden’s vice presidency were found at his home. The matter was investigated by Special Counsel Robert Hur, who interviewed Biden in October. In February 2024, the case was closed without charges. But Hur’s conclusion sparked controversy: "At trial, Biden would likely present as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory." Hur noted that a conviction under such circumstances was unlikely.
The White House saw this as a political attack. Biden accused Hur of discrediting him, claiming the special counsel had tried to portray him as unfit for office.
In May 2025, Axios released an audio recording of the interview. It confirmed that Biden often lost his train of thought, paused mid-sentence, and left statements unfinished. In one segment, he began speaking about the death of his son Beau and misstated the date. Biden later insisted Hur had raised the subject—but the recording shows it was the president who mentioned Beau first.
In the summer of 2024, actor George Clooney hosted a fundraiser in support of Biden. Upon meeting the president, Clooney realized Biden didn’t recognize him. He later began discussing Biden’s condition with Democratic donors. Many acknowledged that the president tired easily and struggled in public settings. Still, they insisted that "the presidency is about making decisions"—and claimed Biden was fully capable in that regard.
Similar arguments were heard in Russia during the 1990s under Boris Yeltsin. Officials would say: "The president is working with documents, his handshake is firm."
A week after the Clooney event came the Biden–Trump debate. The president appeared fatigued, spoke in a quiet, hoarse voice—he also had a cold. He lost his train of thought, mixed up words, and mumbled. After one particularly muddled remark, Trump quipped: "I didn’t understand what he said… and neither did he." It sounded harsh, but rang true.
Joe Biden and Jake Tapper after the presidential debate.
Reuters
The debate was moderated by Tapper. His co-host, Dana Bash, passed him a note live on air: "He just lost the election."
After that, the conversation in the U.S. boiled down to one question: should Biden drop out of the race? His approval ratings were already lower than Trump's, and now millions of viewers had seen visual confirmation of the troubling rumors.
Two weeks later, Clooney published an op-ed in The New York Times: "I love Joe Biden. But we need a new candidate." He wrote, "It's time to stop telling us that 51 million people didn’t see what we saw." Clooney was blunt: "We won’t win with this president. We won’t hold the House and we’ll lose the Senate. And every senator, every governor I’ve spoken with privately says the same—regardless of their public statements."
Clooney could afford to speak plainly. It was different for sitting politicians. If Biden stayed in the race, any open call for his withdrawal would be seen as betrayal.
After the debate, Biden’s team held a series of closed-door meetings with party leaders. They agreed to be "honest," but when meeting with the president, they limited themselves to vague remarks like "something needs to be done."
These meetings revealed the extent of Biden’s isolation. His inner circle minimized public contact, scripted even informal remarks in advance, and filtered information—especially anything concerning public opinion. Biden was convinced his approval ratings weren’t that bad. But analysts asked: what numbers was he actually seeing?
The book offers a detailed look at his trusted circle: his wife Jill, son Hunter, and sister Valerie. Plus a "politburo" of four advisers—Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, Bruce Reed, and Ron Klain.
The authors point to two reasons for what happened. First—the effect of familiarity: those who saw the president every day found it harder to notice the decline. Second—the myth of Biden. He had endured personal tragedies, struggled with a stutter, and lacked charisma. He was always underestimated, and time after time he proved the skeptics wrong. In 2020, he united the party and defeated Trump. For his inner circle, this wasn’t just biography—it was a symbol of resilience. Criticism felt like an attack on that story—and a personal insult.
They genuinely believed Biden was being underestimated again—and that he would prove them wrong once more. And they passed that belief on to him.
It took the intervention of party "elders"—Barack Obama, Nancy Pelosi, and Chuck Schumer—to convince Biden to withdraw. On July 21, 2024, he officially dropped out of the race.
Kamala Harris became the candidate. The decision drew criticism—Biden had formally won the primaries, and Harris was selected behind closed doors. Some Democrats demanded an open contest at the Chicago convention. But party leadership concluded that the campaign needed to be stabilized immediately. Harris received full backing. David Plouffe, the architect of Obama’s 2008 victory, returned to lead her campaign.
He was one of the few to speak to the authors on the record. His assessment: "Biden totally fucked us."
The Harris campaign moved quickly and aggressively. But the damage was already too great. Victory remained unlikely.
The loss in November 2024 opened the door to an honest conversation within the party. That made the publication of The Original Sin possible. A painful reckoning began—of both tactical and systemic failures. This time, with no illusions.