New book alleges Biden aides hid his decline

Summary

Consider This from NPR: Summary of "New Book Alleges Biden Aides Hid His Decline"

Release Date: May 19, 2025
Hosts: Scott Detrow, Jake Tapper, Alex Thompson
Topic: Examination of President Joe Biden's alleged cognitive decline and the purported efforts by his aides and family to conceal it, based on the new book "Original Sin" by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson.

---

1. Introduction to the Allegations

The episode delves into the claims made in Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new book, Original Sin, which alleges that President Joe Biden has been experiencing a significant cognitive decline. This decline, it is argued, has been systematically concealed by his close aides and family members.

Key Quote:

Alex Thompson [00:08]: "Joe Biden announced he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, prostate cancer, that has spread to his bones. The diagnosis underscores the biggest vulnerability Biden faced during his final years in office."

---

2. Historical Context: Biden's Age and Competence

The discussion begins by contrasting public perceptions of Biden's age over the decades. In the early stages of his career, concerns centered on whether he was too young. However, as he matured politically, questions shifted to whether he was too old for the demands of the presidency.

Key Quotes:

Alex Thompson [00:08]: "More than 50 years ago, Biden's age was an issue too. But in 1972, the question was, is he too young?"

Tonya Moseley [00:59]: "Mr. President, for months, when you were asked about your age, you would respond with the words, watch me. Many American people have been watching and they have expressed concerns about your age."

---

3. Visible Signs of Decline and Public Scrutiny

The podcast highlights several incidents that raised public and media concerns about Biden's cognitive abilities. Notably, his performance during the June debate and occasional memory lapses, such as struggling to remember longtime aides' names, are cited as evidence of his decline.

Key Quotes:

Jake Tapper [07:40]: "I would describe it as unable to come up with the names of top advisors or close friends... He's also one of the most recognizable people in the world."

Alex Thompson [00:51]: "Five decades later, as Biden ran for a second presidential term, the question was instead, is he too old?"

---

4. Efforts to Conceal the Decline

According to the book, Biden's inner circle, including close aides like Mike Donilon and Steve Richetti, actively worked to hide indications of his declining cognitive health. This involved limiting his interactions with other administration members and restricting his schedule to minimize public and internal awareness of his condition.

Key Quotes:

Scott Detrow [05:36]: "There was a functioning Biden and non-functioning Biden. ... The inner circle became smaller and smaller... ensuring that the public did not and other aides did not see non-functioning Biden."

Jake Tapper [08:02]: "The inner circle became smaller and smaller... schedule became much more oriented about making sure that the public did not and other aides did not see non-functioning Biden."

---

5. Impact on the 2024 Presidential Campaign

The concealment efforts are argued to have played a critical role in Biden's decision to remain in the race despite declining performance and increasing concerns among Democratic donors and members of Congress. The June debate, perceived as disastrous, prompted deeper investigation into why Biden chose to continue his campaign.

Key Quotes:

Alex Thompson [02:19]: "...Biden was asked about his cognitive abilities in a press conference... Eventually, Biden dropped out."

Scott Detrow [11:22]: "All he had to do was win. Then he could have disappeared for the next four years... the threat of Donald Trump... justifying in some ways undemocratic actions."

---

6. Reactions and Defense from Biden’s Camp

In response to the book's allegations, Biden's camp has vehemently denied the claims of cognitive decline. They argue that Biden remains fully capable of executing his presidential duties and dismiss the premise of decline as unfounded.

Key Quotes:

Jake Tapper [09:25]: "I reject the premise... where's the decision making that was the wrong decision?"

Jake Tapper [10:35]: "I don't buy the idea that the President is just some Magic 8 ball... They haven't read the book yet."

---

7. Insights from Interviews and Sources

The authors conducted extensive interviews with over 200 individuals, including former aides who expressed regret over not speaking out about Biden's condition. These sources reveal a culture of silence driven by fear of political repercussions and loyalty to Biden.

Key Quotes:

Scott Detrow [12:40]: "A lot of soul searching about what could I have done differently... How many options were there... Probably not."

Jake Tapper [13:15]: "He had the meeting with him in 2023... 'You have to think about how old you're going to be in the second term.'"

---

8. Conclusion: The Aftermath and Ongoing Debate

The episode concludes by reflecting on the aftermath of the book’s release and the ongoing debate about Biden's capacity to serve a second term. It underscores the tension between protecting the President's image and ensuring transparent accountability in leadership.

Key Quotes:

Jake Tapper [14:44]: "President Biden has a 5% chance of winning... his pollsters said it was probably more like 1%."

Alex Thompson [14:53]: "Their new book is Original Sin. President Biden's decline, its cover up and his disastrous choice to run."

---

Final Thoughts

This episode of Consider This presents a compelling examination of President Joe Biden's alleged cognitive decline and the purported efforts by his closest aides to conceal it. Through in-depth interviews and revelations from the new book Original Sin, listeners gain insight into the complexities and controversies surrounding Biden's leadership and his 2024 presidential campaign.

---

Note: All timestamps correspond to the original podcast transcript provided.

Transcript

[Scott Detrow]

Happy birthday, dear.

[Jake Tapper]

The boyish looking father of three young children was celebrating his 30th birthday.

[Alex Thompson]

The boyish looking father described in that ABC News report was newly elected Delaware Senator Joe Biden, one of the youngest men ever elected to the US Senate. On Sunday, four months after he left the White House, Biden announced he has been diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer, prostate cancer, that has spread to his bones. The diagnosis underscores the biggest vulnerability Biden faced during his final years in office. More than 50 years ago, Biden's age was an issue too. But in 1972, the question was, is he too young? I expect these fellows are going to eventually judge me on my merit, not on my age. And I have to establish that merit.

[Jake Tapper]

Assuming there isn't any there, I don't.

[Alex Thompson]

Think it's going to be much of a problem. Five decades later, as Biden ran for a second presidential term, the question was instead, is he too old?

[Tonya Moseley]

Mr. President, for months, when you were asked about your age, you would respond with the words, watch me. Many American people have been watching and they have expressed concerns about your age.

[Alex Thompson]

That is your judgment. That is your judgment.

[Jake Tapper]

That is not the judgment of the press.

[Tonya Moseley]

They expressed concerns about your mental acuity. They say that you are too old.

[Alex Thompson]

Then came the June debate.

[Jake Tapper]

Making sure that we're able to make.

[Alex Thompson]

Every single solitary person eligible for. What I've been able to do with the, with the COVID excuse me, with dealing with everything we have to do with, look, if we finally beat Medicare and after that disastrous performance as Biden tried to do damage control, he was, he was asked about his cognitive abilities in a press conference. And you said you take a cognitive test every day in this job. Are you open to taking another physical or test before the election? Governor Whitmer of Michigan, for instance, said it wouldn't hurt to take a test, his physical stamina. In an interview with ABC News, George Stephanopoulos.

[Jake Tapper]

You know, you say you were exhausted, and I know you've said that before as well, but you came and you did have a tough month, but you came home from Europe about 11 or 12 days before the debate, spent six days in camp David. Why wasn't that enough rest time, enough.

[Alex Thompson]

Recovery time, and whether he should get out of the race altogether? By NBC's Lester Holt. Do you feel like you've weathered the storm on this issue of whether you should be on the ticket or not? Six days after that interview, Biden dropped out. Consider this. Joe Biden repeatedly insisted he was capable of serving a second term. A new book argues his advisors and family went to great lengths to hide that he wasn't. From npr, I'm Scott Detrow.

[Tonya Moseley]

This message comes from sattva. Spring cleaning can be good for your home and your mind. It can boost your mood, sharpen your focus and fuel productivity. Another way to do all that sleeping well. Voted best luxury mattress by sleepfoundation.org Every Saatva is handcrafted for a great night's sleep, and they cost far less than retail. This memorial day saves $600 on $1,000 or more. @saatva.com NPR I'm Tonya Moseley, co host of Fresh Air. At a time of sound bites and short attention, SP is all about the deep dive. We do long form interviews with people behind the best in film, books, tv, music and journalism.

[Jake Tapper]

Here our guests open up about their.

[Tonya Moseley]

Process and their lives in ways you've never heard before.

[Jake Tapper]

Listen to the FRESH air podcast from.

[Tonya Moseley]

NPR and WHYY.

[Alex Thompson]

It'S consider this from NPR. Former President Joe Biden has known Mike Donilon since 1981. He's been one of Biden's closest aides for decades, yet a White House desk just steps away from the Oval office. Yet in 2019, on a campaign swing in Iowa, Biden struggled to remember Donilon's name. That's according to the new book original sin by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios Alex Thompson. It's one of several jarring moments reported out in the book, which chronicles Biden's decline over his time in the White House, as well as efforts by his top staff and family to keep that decline hidden from voters, staff that included Donellan and deputy White House chief of staff Steve Richetti. When Thompson and Tapper dropped by our studios recently to talk about the book, Tapper said that disastrous June debate made him want to dig deeper into why Biden decided to run.

[Jake Tapper]

Dana Bash, my co moderator, and I had these iPads so that we could write to the people in the control room because obviously we can't talk to them. And there was only one or two commercial breaks and I wrote holy smokes, like during that first rambling, awful non answer where he said we finally beat Medicare. I just couldn't believe it. Look, I mean, we had all seen him aging. We had all seen him tripping and misspeaking. We had all seen evidence of decline. But the Biden team, family and senior advisors were telling everybody, not just media, not just the public, but also Democratic donors and members of Congress, their own cabinet. He's Fine. He's fine. He's fine. He's fine.

[Alex Thompson]

I want to talk about the hiding as you frame it. Use the word cover up in the title. That's gotten a lot of attention. It's a strong phrase to use. Tell me why you justified using that framing when it came to President Biden's inner circle and the way that they protected him.

[Scott Detrow]

If it wasn't a cover up, then why were so many people surprised by the debate? Mm. Beginning in fall of 2023, our reporting shows, based on the interviews with over 200 people, that there were two Bidens. There was a functioning Biden and non functioning Biden. And that goes back to, you know, 2019, but it was almost always functioning Biden. But beginning in 2023, the ratio of that functioning and non functioning starts to change dramatically. And also non functioning Biden is getting worse. And the White House, the people around them, we had one senior White House official who left because they were upset over what was happening and didn't think he should be running for reelection.

[Alex Thompson]

And when you say non functioning, what's the best way to define that?

[Jake Tapper]

I would describe it as unable to come up with the names of top advisors or close friends. I would say we, look, we're all human. We all forget names. We all lose our train of thought. We're not talking about that. And also we all witness that in people who are aging. I mean, again, I'm not talking about that. We're talking about to the point of you are not able to have a conversation. You are not able to come up with data, information, knowledge, names that you should have at the ready. When he didn't recognize George Clooney. That is somebody who is not only somebody he'd known for more than 15 years, not only somebody that he had had serious conversations about Darfur with, not only somebod that had raised millions of dollars for him and was co hosting that very fundraiser. He's also one of the most recognizable people in the world. So I'm talking about that. I'm talking about what we saw at the debate. Like that non functioning Biden. I cannot articulate a sentence. Biden.

[Alex Thompson]

You were talking about the framing of the COVID up though, because it's odd though. On one hand, he's the President of the United States. He's making a couple appearances of, you know, some days he didn't make that many of appearances, but he's giving speeches, he's appearing in public, he's carrying out the duties of the presidenc. And yet, as you report it, there is a concerted effort to wall him off. What specifically was that circle of AIDS doing?

[Scott Detrow]

Yeah, I mean, the one top aide who left the White House said that they intentionally shielded him from other members of the administration, other members of the cabinet, other senior White House officials. The inner circle became smaller and smaller and this White House official said that was intentional so that they did not realize the extent of the decline. You also saw the schedule become much tighter and more restricted. We have, you know, months of internal schedules that show that, you know, he would go up to the residence and have dinner at 4, 4:35. Other members of the administration also said that, you know, he just would go up to the residence very, very early and they would just wouldn't see him, you know, after a certain point of the day. And the schedule just became much more oriented about making sure that the public did not and other aides did not see non functioning Biden. And that's why, you know, the schedule became much more 10 to 4 and why, yes, he was doing those events, but they were often, you know, put in the middle of the day when, you know, those were his good hours.

[Alex Thompson]

Enough of the book is out that you're getting a response. I want to read you one quote that we have from Biden's camp and I want to get your response. We're still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline. What's your response to that?

[Jake Tapper]

I mean, first of all, that is setting the bar really low. That's their defense of our book, that, okay, well, where's the decision making that was the wrong decision?

[Alex Thompson]

Well, I mean, I guess it's the key question for the President of the United States though, right? Like, can this person make that key decision in that moment?

[Jake Tapper]

Look, one of his most loyal top aides said to me, if the presidency is about two things, making decisions and being able to communicate those decisions to the American people, this person said he was always good at making the decisions. He could never effectively communicate it. And it got worse and worse throughout his term. So I don't buy the idea that the President is just some Magic 8 ball. He just has to make decisions after the other and he doesn't have to do anything else. So that to me is just a false premise. But beyond that, the book does describe situations where US Senators are very concerned about their interactions with President Biden. I'll just give you one. There is an incident in June 2024. President Biden has a meeting at the White House, an event having to deal with immigration and everybody listening. I ask you to go to Google and watch this moment. Biden has some sort of glitch while talking that neurologists told us was some sort of neurological event. They don't know what it was, but it was some sort of neurological event. It wasn't a stutter. It was something else. And Senator Bennett from Colorado, loyal Biden supporting Democrat, leaves that immigration event at the White House thinking, well, this is why the immigration policy in this country is so messed up. This president can't manage the portfolio. So I just a. I reject the premise. But even if we're using that premise, I don't buy it. It's not true. They haven't read the book yet, and that's fine. I wouldn't read it if I were them either.

[Alex Thompson]

Alex, what to you was the moment that most alarmed you as a person who lives in the United States, as you were reporting and learning these details about the things that were happening behind the scenes?

[Scott Detrow]

Another moment that sort of was jaw dropping was I was interviewing a longtime Biden aide and they're quoted in the book as saying, I'm paraphrasing here. All he had to do was win. Then he could have disappeared for the next four years and only had to occasionally show proof of life. When you're electing a president, I think voters know that they're also electing the people around them. And that was.

[Alex Thompson]

This was their justification.

[Scott Detrow]

This was their justification for they were, they basically were acknowledging, yeah, he's, he's like, having trouble. But like, the threat of Donald Trump, which I think they felt very sincere about, was so great that they were justifying in some ways undemocratic actions.

[Jake Tapper]

Yeah. And these are the same people who say, hey, nobody elected Elon Musk. Well, no one elected Donilon and Rachetti. And yet we have a cabinet secretary telling us that Biden, Rashetti and Donlan would make decisions about the economy without even talking to Secretary Yellen during the period that they cut off the Cabinet.

[Alex Thompson]

You talked to a lot of anonymous sources for this book. Did anybody regret not speaking out, or was it. This is the reality I saw, but it was career suicide to say that he couldn't run for another term. So in retrospect, I wouldn't say anything if not regret.

[Scott Detrow]

A lot of soul searching about what could I have done differently? One person sort of put to me this way was like, how many options were There they could have gone public. But would that have changed Joe Biden's mind? Probably not. And then it would have just helped Donald Trump. Now, the one thing that I think people are mad about, that the inner circle especially didn't do, the ones that knew better, is you don't necessarily have to go public. But why not confront him? I haven't heard someone give a good answer.

[Alex Thompson]

And who confronted him? Secretary of State Blinken kind of confronted him.

[Jake Tapper]

Yeah, he was just. He had the meeting with. He had a lunch with him in 2023 in which he basically was like, you know, you have to think about how old you're going to be in the second term. You know, do you think he can handle it? Of course Biden does. And that's kind of just dropped. I think everybody in that circle, in that world should be thinking, I'm certainly thinking as a journalist, what should I have done differently? Alex and I covered this, Alex, very aggressively from the White House beat me less so, and I wish I had been more aggressive. There's a lot of regret. There's a lot of humility.

[Alex Thompson]

I want to end this interview the way you start the book, that the morning after the election, Joe Biden woke up convinced he could have won.

[Jake Tapper]

He still thinks that. He still thinks he could have won. He went on the View to pre. But this book, we think. And he was asked about that, and he said, well, look, I still got 7 million more votes than Donald Trump. Now he's talking about the 2020 election. And the truth of the matter is I have talked to his pollsters more than he ever has, and they did not think that. And Chuck Schumer, when Chuck Schumer finally has the conversation with Biden in which he says that he thinks Biden should drop out, he says, I've talked to your pollsters. They give you a 5% chance of winning. And Biden did not know that because all the polling was interpreted through the spinmeisters around him, Donilon and Rachetti. And Biden's shocked to hear that. When I talked with one of the pollsters about that story, 5%, he said it was probably more like 1%.

[Alex Thompson]

That's Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson. Their new book is Original Sin. President Biden's decline, its cover up and his disastrous choice to run. Again. Thanks for talking to us.

[Jake Tapper]

Thank you.

[Alex Thompson]

This episode was produced by Tyler Bartlem with audio engineering by Tiffany Vieira Castro. It was edited by Courtney Dorning. Our executive producer is Sammy Yenigun. It's consider this from npr. I'm Scott Detrow.

[Tonya Moseley]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Shopify. No idea where to sell? Shopify puts you in control of every sales channel. It is the commerce platform revolutionizing millions of businesses worldwide. Whether you're a garage entrepreneur or IPO ready, Shopify is the only tool you need to start, run and grow your business without the struggle. Once you've reached your audience, Shopify has the Internet's best converting checkout to help you turn them from browsers to buyers. Go to Shopify.com NPR to take your business to the next level. Today, politics is a lot these days.

[Alex Thompson]

I'm Sarah McCammon, a co host of the NPR Politics Podcast, and I'll be the first to tell you, what happens in Washington definitely demands some decoding.

[Tonya Moseley]

That's why our show makes politics as.

[Alex Thompson]

Easy as possible to wrap your head around.

[Tonya Moseley]

Join us as we make politics make.

[Alex Thompson]

Sense on the NPR Politics Podcast, available wherever you get your podcasts.

[Tonya Moseley]

Want to hear this podcast without sponsor breaks? Amazon prime members can listen to Consider this sponsor free through Amazon Music. Or you can also support NPR's vital journalism and get Consider this +@ +npr.org. that's +npr.org.