Biden aide hits back at book alleging cover-up of his 'deterioration'

[SouthBayDem]

Source: BBC

Joe Biden's aides have hit back at a new book that accuses a White House inner circle of covering up the former US president's "physical deterioration" during his ill-fated re-election campaign.

According to the book, Original Sin, Biden's condition during his 2024 presidential run was said to be so poor that aides discussed putting him in a wheelchair.

A spokesperson for Biden, 82, said "evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity" and maintained the Democrat had been "a very effective president".

The book, by CNN's Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson of Axios, is due to be released on 20 May.

Read more: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c4g23zzl1gwo

[Bayard]

1. Sounds like a book about bullshit

[2naSalit]

49. None of it was fact checked...

According to NPR, then they countered that claim by giving david axelrod several minutes to talk shit about Biden.

[JBTaurus83]

2. I have no doubt Biden

And his team were prepared for national and world events. Just look at what we have now. That being said, this needs to be a lesson to our party, we have got to stop this thing with running 75-90 year olds for office.


This is the type of attack it opens us to, and we can all see how the public reacted this last time. The full retirement age in the USA is 67 and these are demanding jobs. Of course some are totally capable of doing the job, just as so many are who are unfairly overlooked for running for higher office.

[brush]

32. We're not always running 75-90 year-olds.

Clinton, Obama, Hillary...all were much younger.

This book is just a hit piece on Biden. And why? He's out of office and should be off limits now.

It may backfire on rethugs though because trump will be 80 next montn and is in obvious mental decline.

[Pisces]

3. Nobody is saying he wasn't effective. But we could all see he was diminishing. We all have eyes and ears!!

Why are some still deluding themselves?? To think he could do it another 4 years is living in a fairytale. Why are we arguing about what we all saw??? This is not slur on the President. He did a great job, but it was time to step back, end of story.

I worry for the country at large when our own side, the side I consider to be smarter, more honest continues on with these delusions.

[tintinvotes]

4. Sure jan

I hope y'all are happy now that you forced him to step down and we now have rumpy. Be best and enjoy the decline of your economy

[JBTaurus83]

6. He would have lost worse than Kamala did

There was zero enthusiasm until she stepped into try and mop up the mess at the last minute.

[tintinvotes]

7. Sure jan

I'm sure that's what you need to keep telling yourself. You sabotaged us

[MadameButterfly]

17. Good grief

[Skittles]

21. LOL

sure bro

[JBTaurus83]

5. I agree

And was the point I was attempting to make. Enough with the “sit in office until you die” stuff.

[Walleye]

31. Great, now we have a 78 year old man who can't actually think, and many people hoping he will die

And millions of the American people went along with it

[Katinfl]

39. I would take Biden on his worst day over any day with trump.

The media made such an issue with Biden’s supposed “decline”, there was nothing he could do or say to stop it. So people went with a 78 yr.idiot so is in worse cognitive shape than anyone. He is getting worse each day he opens his mouth and the media ignore it. It’s time to put the Biden issue to rest and move on. They accomplished their goal and got an idiot elected.. And we are living the results. I’m so disgusted.

[Walleye]

43. It's creepy. They just can't quit Joe Biden.

[JustAnotherGen]

40. I pray for his death

Every single day. And if that makes me a bad Democratic Party member - so be it.

[RedArkGuy]

9. It's not an either/or

I don't have any doubt Biden's mental acuity versus Trump was much much better, in policy making, in getting legislation done and (with the exception of his near blank-check for Netanyahu) foreign policy.

But as a public spokesman, as a bully pulpit, as a projection of national energy and mood, he was not adequate in 2024. The best outcome would have come from sticking to the one term, not running again and allowing a fair primary process. Maybe Harris would have won and been stronger for it. Maybe it would have been someone else.

In any case, it's woulda coulda shoulda. What is to be done now?

[JustAnotherGen]

41. From what I've seen on the Threads App

The past few days -

We are supposed to all stand down and let David Hogg make that decision.

[Callie1979]

33. A simple comparison of videos from 2020 & 2024 showed the obvious

And I caught HELL anytime I pointed it out. As well as bringing up the fact that in 2020 Biden had said he was likely a "transitional president".

He should have allowed a real primary & I believe we would have won; this election was very close no matter how many times the MAGA scream "Landslide!!!"

There are other reasons too of course, but not willfully discussed.

[C Moon]

8. Who needs a lying book:

go to tiktok and you'll be greeted with hundreds of elon musk accounts, all making up lies about Biden and the Democrats.

[Silent Type]

10. As Bill Maher said, "I'll take Biden's head floating in green fluid in a lab jar to trump."

I love Joe Biden, but he was having problems and we should have had primaries. Sorry.

trump won — at least with Biden — when he responded, “I don’t know what he said, and don’t think he does either.” In retrospect, Biden’s team should have called in with a Presidential emergency before allowing him to walk out on the stage wondering which of the two podiums was his.

Hurts me to sat that as someone a few years from his age. Heck, I might appear the same at times now.

And, trump, is even worse. But voters thought not.

[tintinvotes]

11. Sure jan

I hope that after years of good performance and excellence (he gave us the best economy in the world and was definitely on his game), I hope someone judges you after one bad performance (due to jetlag) just as harshly. He's a good man, who was doing a great job, but y'all decided you liked rumpy's and the msm narrative better, and now we all have to pay for it. I've been reading this site for decades and I never seen anything more disgusting than what happened here in the last election. The idea that DU isn't supposed to criticize democrats is hilarious, with friends like y'all he didn't need enemies

[radical noodle]

12. No one here

decided they liked "rumpy's" narrative at all. Ever.

[tintinvotes]

13. Sure jan

[Silent Type]

14. Yeah, right. And what precipitated what happened in the last election? We had no chance after June 27th to beat trump.

VP Harris made a great effort to pull it out, but it was too late for her to have a real chance.

Biden saved us in 2020, but not 2024. Though we’ll never know for sure, Biden would have lost by much more than the VP, IMO. YMMV.

[tintinvotes]

15. 👌

We had no chance because of people like you who showed absolutely no loyalty to the greatest President of my lifetime. More bipartisan legislation than any Pres since FDR. Y'all bought rumpy's and the msm narrative hook line and sinker, and here you are 3 mos into the worst presidency in the history of USA still parroting that narrative.

[SocialDemocrat61]

16. Unfortunately

Some here have are more loyalty to the corporate media than they do for President Biden or any other Democrat.

[Skittles]

22. sure Jan

[tintinvotes]

25. Nice try Jan

Who started the sleepy Joe theme? Yep, it was rumpy and the lame stream media, and y'all continued it. We had the best economy and recovery in the world. The Republicans had nothing except their cheeto jesus and brainwashing machine (msm) which seems to work on people such as yourself. Again y'all fell for it hook, line, and sinker. The biggest self own in the history of self owns

[Callie1979]

36. You're ignoring the fact that AFTER that debate there'd be 4.5 more YEARS to go

He wouldve been almost 88 next election.
It was simply a poor decision.
But I guess you think the election was "stolen"

[MadameButterfly]

18. It was not only one performance

and Biden's stellar lifelong record will be forever stained by his decision not to step down when he should have--in time for real primaries.

[Callie1979]

34. And continuing to ignore reality is how we lose AGAIN.

You can keep tossing the cute "Sure Jan" insults all you want, but everyones point is correct; even brought up by many democratic voters. The polls showed it & the end result showed it.
No one here likes trump. Refusing to figure out the "why" is a fools errand

[videohead5]

19. I don't believe this BS book

President Biden was out riding a bike just the other day. I'm sure at times President Biden had some problems because of fatigue. I watched him on The View the other day and he seemed just fine.

[MadameButterfly]

53. The interview where he threw Kamala under the bus?

He doesn't seem fine to me.

[videohead5]

54. How did he throw her

Under the bus? You evidently did not watch the whole thing.

[no_hypocrisy]

23. I equate this book with the insidious situation my friend is going through.

He's 77+ years old and for whatever reason, his wife is on a campaign to convince everyone that he has dementia. It's a relationship involving malignant narcissism. He is terrified of her. She's gone as far as calling the police in order to "document" his so-called dementia.

He doesn't have dementia. His head may be spinning from her constant berating and emotional cruelty, but it isn't dementia. Their house is a confused mess and no wonder he can't find his keys. He's a virtuoso trumpeter and can perform pieces without music without an error. He is articulate. He can drive without getting lost.

His wife now has their daughter echoing her contention that he has dementia.

Because he's so cowed by his wife, he doesn't actively dispute her accusations of his mental status.

Honestly, I don't get it. If his wife doesn't want to live with him, get a divorce. Don't try to have him committed.

[madaboutharry]

27. You are describing elder abuse.

He needs to seek legal advice.

[no_hypocrisy]

30. My friend won't report this. I had to go to Adult Protective Services.

Last edited Wed May 14, 2025, 10:48 AM - Edit history (1)

Our challenges are that it's his wife, and she is above suspicion of nefarious motives. Plus, she has control over him in every way. She uses her experience as a retired nurse to explain why he didn't merit immediate medical attention. (Yesterday, he had virulent diarrhea with dehydration before she took him to the doctor 36 hours later. Last month, their son attacked him with a baseball bat, breaking four ribs. She saw and knew, but didn't call an ambulance. Instead, she had her daughter call the police on a domestic violence charge — for HER.)

His sister and I are the only ones advocating for his safety. I fear he could die from the combination of abuse and neglect.

[Katinfl]

42. Did Adult Protective Services do anything?

I am curious because I also had to call them on 2 different situations. They checked it out but ultimately could not do anything. Seemed like a waste of time on my part. Maybe you had a different outcome.

[Alice B.]

45. Just here to say this is breaking my heart.

I hope a doctor or geriatric specialist can speak with him independently and privately, away from his wife. Good luck,

[SocialDemocrat61]

24. It's interesting that this is from the BBC

and not an American corporate media outlet.

[dem4decades]

28. How about Tapper report on Trumps mental state, something that really matters. The coward won't.

[Lovie777]

29. And yet shithole is breaking the law and ignoring the Constitution..................

destroying the USA inside and out and sides with terrorists and dictators while blaming Pres Biden what's shithole is doing to us.

This sucks.

The media is surely fucked up. I do not feel safe emotionally, economically and security wise because of the current administration the the GQP.

[Javaman]

35. wow, what a circular firing squad in this thread.

nothing like rerunning the last election.

folks, stay focused. the orange asshole is the mission.

[Callie1979]

37. I agree. But how we win in '26 & '28 is to figure out how/why we lost in '24

But we also have too many people who refuse to accept the problems that contributed to the loss.

[Keepthesoulalive]

38. We lost because the American public is easily manipulated

We are here worrying about a man who is no longer president. The American public does not learn one damned thing or we wouldn’t be going through hell on repeat. He put in Muslim bans, the economy was in trouble, he did nothing for anyone but himself and his cronies, was racist and sexist and stupid. The majority of Americans other than black Americans didn’t find anything wrong with this and requested a second helping. This is all media propaganda, stop falling for it or nothing will change.

[Callie1979]

57. Keep believing thats the "why" & we'll lose again.

Why on earth did trump get MORE black voters than the last 2 elections?

[Katinfl]

44. Too many democrats sat this one out.

That’s my opinion. Too many excuses to single any one out, but I have learned to never underestimate the stupidity of the electorate. Sounds harsh, but too many people just do not know the facts and vote according to the name/s they hear all the time. Facts don’t matter. IMHO.

[Callie1979]

58. About the same number skipped 2020 too. I dont get it either

And I've never understood the name recognition thing either. Works for Congress too.
Imagine if trump had never had the Apprentice show. He'd be out of business.

[Javaman]

47. want to know why we lost?

here is the very hard truth.

once upon a time, the Dems were the party of the working class. but since the early 80's when ray-gun changed the landscape, one too many dems jumped on the band wagon believing that conservatism was the way and they party moved to the right.

those that the supported the dems, felt abandoned and chose to fall for the flowery words of "morning in America" to follow. because while it was all bullshit, it was a concise message that was easy to digest and go with. the working class thought the repukes were talking to them.

the dems being the dems, couldn't coalesce into a unified message until Clinton came along, but Clinton, like him or not, chose a version of the democratic platform that was less old time messaging and more centrist right.

then came NAFTA. While on paper and how it was promoted sounded great, but in reality, it really kinda sucked for the average American blue collar worker. Jobs they thought were safe vanished because wealthy corporations saw the opportunity to open shop in 3rd world countries to make their productions cheaper and without Unions.

and during this time? the workers felt left out and forgotten by the Dems.

this is all very simplified

we now have a golden opportunity to bring them back.

Bernie and AOC know the score and how to do it. by countering everything the rebukes say with townhalls that the rebukes are too chicken to show up to.

this is how we win, not by blaming the previous administration. Biden was good, but old. Kamala was fantastic but held back. She should have let Tim Walz loose to be himself but they kept him on a short lease. People were eating up what he was saying then and now but not during the campaign.

stop playing nice, stop trying to be polite. that is the way to go. talk directly to the working class, which is: if you work for a paycheck, you are working class and the rich are taking the money right out our pockets.

[Callie1979]

56. But ask those who voted for Biden & Obama but then voted for trump what they think

The disaster at the border is usually the top choice. Followed by some other hot button issues.
I guess it IS possible that some people believed trump would "work for them" but I cant understand why; he's never worked for anyone but himself.

[Brainfodder]

46. Can they do the same deep dive on the current 78 year old treating the country like his business?

Can they look into that creepy grave?
Can they trick him into getting both a heart and brain scan for confirmation?
Can they find his actual medical records?
Can they get him to walk onto a scale that doesn't look like a scale?
Can they figure out who he already sold state secrets to?
Can they find the ability to release the full Jeffrey bundle of file joy?
On and on? YUP....

[Paladin]

48. ANYTHING to deflect attention from the most corrupt regime in national history.

Today's mainstream media make me want to puke.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

50. I do not believe that President Biden was that disabled

President Biden is in far better shape than trump

[Deminpenn]

51. If you bothered to read the reports

detailing Biden's annual physicals, you would know that Biden has been dealing with an increasingly arthritic spine and why his voice is raspy and weak. Frankly, I expected at some point in a second term, Biden might well need a walker or wheelchair because of the arthritis in his back. However, neither of those conditions affects mental acuity.

I continue to believe that had Biden been the candidate he would have eked out a close victory because he speaks the language of the working class and of its retirees.

I'm sure the sources quoted in the book are hot to blame Biden for their own failures that focused far too much on luring "never Trump" Rs at the expense of turning out their own D base and not focusing on Biden's economic plan (The Big Deal, etailed in a New Yorker magazine story).

[Vinca]

55. Time for some Amazon reviews.