As former US President Joe Biden fought to win a second term in 2024, his inner circle held private discussions about the likelihood he would require a wheelchair if reelected, according to startling revelations in a forthcoming book by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios' Alex Thompson.
The explosive report reveals how Biden's physical deterioration had progressed to such an alarming degree by 2023 that his team was deeply concerned about his health while simultaneously working to hide the full extent of his decline from voters during his reelection campaign.
In "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," scheduled for release on May 20, the authors explain that Biden's physician Kevin O'Connor frequently battled with political staffers about the president's demanding schedule, claiming they "were trying to kill him" while he was "trying to keep him alive."
If Trump had lost, no "journalist" would write a book about Biden's health. They would keep spreading propaganda.
We should not forgive, forget or allow those culpable in one of the great coverups ever attempted on the American people to financially benefit.
This is a fucking…
— Meghan McCain (@MeghanMcCain) May 13, 2025
The book, based on extensive interviews with more than 200 individuals, primarily Democratic insiders, documents the significant deterioration of Biden's spine and outlines comprehensive measures implemented to prevent the then-81-year-old president from falling in public after a June 2023 incident when he tripped over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy.
Biden's team enacted numerous safeguards, including planning shorter walking paths, requiring handrails for stage steps, having him wear sneakers more frequently, providing more detailed visual briefings, and offering enhanced guidance through his movements – all while maintaining publicly that his labored walking style was primarily the result of a 2020 foot fracture.
The authors note that while O'Connor had documented in early 2021 that Biden's foot fractures were "completely healed," the White House continued to reference the injury when questioned about the president's increasingly difficult gait. In his official health summaries, O'Connor emphasized "significant spinal arthritis" as the explanation for changes in Biden's walking style.
What's politically revealing is the authors' assertion that Biden's aides considered using a wheelchair during the campaign "politically untenable" despite his worsening physical condition.
These revelations provide fresh context to Biden's withdrawal from the presidential race following his widely criticized June 2024 debate performance against Donald Trump. Three weeks after that decisive debate, Biden abandoned his reelection bid and endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris.
A Biden spokesperson, who requested anonymity, challenged the portrayal in the book, stating that Biden's medical examination "made clear that he had a stiffened gait caused, in part, by wear and tear to his spine – but that no special treatment was necessary and that it had not worsened."
The spokesperson maintained Biden was "transparent about this" and that "evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity," arguing that no one has identified instances where Biden "was unable to do his job because of mental decline."
"WHOLE NEW LEVEL OF GASLIGHTING": @guypbenson slams Democrats for attempting to absolve themselves of responsibility for ignoring President Biden's health decline pic.twitter.com/sLB6pvsmyG
— FOX & Friends (@foxandfriends) May 14, 2025
In another remarkable disclosure, the book reports that Biden repeatedly failed to recognize George Clooney at a June 2024 fundraiser despite having known the actor for two decades. For Clooney, observing Biden's "diminished" physical appearance after not having seen him since 2022 was characterized as a "holy sh*t" moment.
