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== Plot ==
== Plot ==
The book consists of nineteen chapters.
The book consists of nineteen chapters. The first chapter begins the argument that Biden's decision to run again doomed the Democrats to defeat.


== Reception ==
== Reception ==

Revision as of 04:11, 20 May 2025

Original Sin
Author
LanguageEnglish
SubjectAge and health concerns about Joe Biden
GenreNon-fiction
PublisherPenguin Random House
Publication date
May 20, 2025
Publication placeUnited States
Media typeBook
Pages352
ISBN979-8-217-06067-2

Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again is a 2025 book by American journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, scheduled to be published by Penguin Random House on May 20, 2025. It details the claims that there was a cover-up regarding Joe Biden's health during his term as the president of the United States and his reelection campaign, leading up to the 2024 presidential election.[1][2][3]

Background

See also: 2024 Joe Biden–Donald Trump presidential debate and Age and health concerns about Joe Biden

The 2024 Joe Biden–Donald Trump presidential debate, which was moderated by Jake Tapper and Dana Bash of CNN, was held on June 27, 2024.[4] Biden had an extremely poor performance, and following the debate there were concerns about his age and health, and whether he would be capable of serving a second term. This eventually led to Biden dropping out of the election and endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris to become the party's presidential nominee on July 21, 2024.

Harris lost the election to Trump, losing the popular vote 48.3-49.8% and the Electoral College 226-312. Harris had just 107 days (3.5 months) as the nominee and did not go through a primary election. In the aftermath of Harris' loss, many commentators speculated as to whether Harris or another nominee may have won had Biden not run for a second term. David Plouffe, who helped run Harris' campaign, said that Biden's poor debate performance and dropping out more than three weeks later doomed Harris to defeat.[5]

Description

The book is based on around 200 interviews, the majority of which were conducted with Democratic insiders following the 2024 United States presidential election. It heavily explores Joe Biden's physical deterioration, leading up to the presidential election, particularly the Joe Biden–Donald Trump presidential debate. Following the announcement of the book, Axios wrote that "Thompson and Tapper draw a direct line from Biden's decision to run again — his 'original sin' that led to a campaign of 'gaslighting and denial' — and the election of President Trump."[4]

The book stated that during Joe Biden's reelection presidential campaign, there were discussions about having Biden use a wheelchair in the event that he won a second term. Physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor said that a "a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery", if Biden had a "bad fall" in 2023 or 2024. A spokesperson stated that while medical exams "made clear" that Biden had a "stiffened gait caused, in part, by wear and tear to his spine", no necessary treatment was given.[6]

Bill Daley, who was the political director for Biden's 1988 presidential campaign, started calling on the phones to see if the Democratic Party had "a viable replacement candidate".[7] Despite Biden insisting that he would have defeated Trump in the election if he stayed, the book stated that no such polls existed and adding that "there was no credible data, they said, to support the notion that he would have won."[8] According to Semafor, the book explained that digital video "was a constant struggle" and Biden's campaigned was "getting creative with editing" such as using slow motion videos to hide how slowly Biden was walking.[9]

Another issue was that Joe Biden began to forget names halfway through his term, dating back to December 2022, as well as "staring blankly" at people that he had known for years, including actor George Clooney, and becoming "more disoriented and incoherent" when fatigued.[7][10] The book explained that Biden's inner circle wanted to keep him happy and "shield him from bad news", which was occasionally about the president himself and his health. Several cabinet members stated that they would go months without seeing Biden, despite having "regular access" to him beforehand.[11]

Tapper and Thompson wrote an article containing excerpts of the book in the The New Yorker a week before the book was released.[5] Tapper also stated on CNN that the book showed that "the White House was lying, not only to the press, not only to the public, but they were lying to members of their own Cabinet. They were lying to White House staffers. They were lying to Democratic members of Congress, to donors, about how bad things had gotten."[12]

Plot

The book consists of nineteen chapters. The first chapter begins the argument that Biden's decision to run again doomed the Democrats to defeat.

Reception

The book was favorably reviewed by The New York Times, The Washington Post, and the Los Angeles Times.[13][14][15] Tyler Austin Harper of The Atlantic compared Biden's decline to that of the title character in Shakespeare's play King Lear.[16] David Smith of The Guardian stated that the book "presents a scathing account of a president cocooned from reality".[17] Norman Solomon of The Nation praised the book, while also cautioning that sections of the book should be treated with some degree of skepticism due to their reliance on anonymous sources and occasional hearsay.[18]

A spokesperson from Biden's team criticized the book as an "effort to make a profit" and that "we continue to await anything that shows where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or where national security was threatened or where he was unable to do his job".[19] Biden's granddaughter Naomi Biden stated that the book "amounts to a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck".[20]

Future

According to New York Post, Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Endeavor began "quietly circulating the manuscript to select producers".[21]

See also

References

  1. ^ Stelter, Brian (February 26, 2025). "New book on Biden by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson reports a 'cover-up' about his decline". CNN. Archived from the original on February 26, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  2. ^ Dunbar, Marina (February 26, 2025). "New book to detail 'cover-up' of Biden's health decline before 2024 election". The Guardian. Archived from the original on February 26, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  3. ^ Kimmins, Leigh (February 26, 2025). "MAGAverse Rages at Jake Tapper's Book on Biden's Health Decline". The Daily Beast. Archived from the original on February 26, 2025. Retrieved February 26, 2025.
  4. ^ a b Allen, Mike (February 26, 2025). "New book: Axios' Thompson and CNN's Tapper on Biden's "Original Sin"". Axios. Archived from the original on March 21, 2025. Retrieved April 1, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Tapper, Jake; Thompson, Alex (May 13, 2025). "How Joe Biden Handed the Presidency to Donald Trump". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025. We got so screwed by Biden, as a party," David Plouffe, who helped run the Harris campaign, told us. ... After Biden dropped out of the race, on July 21, 2024, Plouffe was drafted to help Harris in what he saw as a "rescue mission." Harris, he said, was a "great soldier," but the compressed hundred-and-seven-day race was "a fucking nightmare. And it's all Biden," Plouffe said. By deciding to run for reelection and then waiting more than three weeks after the debate to bow out, Plouffe added, "He totally fucked us.
  6. ^ Sheth, Sonam; Commander, Anna (May 13, 2025). "The biggest Biden bombshells from Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new book". Newsweek. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  7. ^ a b Christenson, Josh (May 13, 2025). "Biden forgot names of longtime aides halfway through term: book". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  8. ^ Jones, Tom (May 14, 2025). "New book excerpts reveal bombshells about Biden's health and the toll it took on his campaign". Poynter. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  9. ^ Tani, Max (May 18, 2025). "A behind-the-scenes look at Biden's dark debate night". Semafor.
  10. ^ Herb, Jeremy (May 13, 2025). "New book: Biden aides discussed using a wheelchair in second term | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  11. ^ Herb, Jeremy (May 14, 2025). "First on CNN: New book reveals how Biden's inner circle kept Cabinet from him in final two years of presidency | CNN Politics". CNN. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  12. ^ "'The White House Was Lying': CNN's Jake Tapper Goes There in Scathing on Air Takedown of Joe Biden". Mediaite. May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  13. ^ Szalai, Jennifer (May 13, 2025). "A Damning Portrait of an Enfeebled Biden Protected by His Inner Circle". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 13, 2025. Retrieved May 13, 2025.
  14. ^ Shephard, Alex (May 14, 2025). "'Original Sin' indicts the 'cover-up' of a steeply declining Joe Biden". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on May 14, 2025. Retrieved May 14, 2025.
  15. ^ Haber, Leigh (May 17, 2025). "Biden's diminished capacities and cover-up explored in painful, if necessary, book". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved May 17, 2025.
  16. ^ Harper, Tyler Austin (May 16, 2025). "An Autopsy Report on Biden's In-Office Decline". The Atlantic. Archived from the original on May 16, 2025. Retrieved May 16, 2025.
  17. ^ Smith, David (May 18, 2025). "Original Sin: book on Biden's health reopens Democratic party's wounds". The Guardian. Retrieved May 18, 2025.
  18. ^ Solomon, Norman (May 13, 2025). "The Careerism That Enabled Biden's Reelection Run Still Poisons the Democratic Party". The Nation. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  19. ^ "David Axelrod says book's allegations about Biden's cognitive decline are 'troubling'". NPR. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  20. ^ NJ.com, Lauren Sforza | NJ Advance Media for (May 19, 2025). "Biden's granddaughter breaks silence on Jake Tapper's upcoming book". nj. Retrieved May 19, 2025.
  21. ^ Zilber, Ariel (May 14, 2025). "Jake Tapper's bombshell book on Biden decline could be made into movie". Retrieved May 19, 2025.
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