Did Joe Biden's Team Hide His Decline From the American People? What Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's Book Uncovers

A new book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson sheds a revealing light on the final phase of Joe Biden's presidency — and it raises difficult questions about what the American public wasn't told.

Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again is based on over 200 interviews with insiders, many of whom only opened up after the 2024 election.

The book paints a picture of a White House increasingly defined by isolation, internal gatekeeping, and growing unease about Biden's ability to serve.

A Shrinking Circle of Influence

One of the book's most striking revelations is that access to the president reportedly tightened in 2023 and 2024.

'Access dropped off considerably in 2024, and I didn't interact with him as much,' one Cabinet secretary told the authors. Cabinet secretaries who once had direct lines to Biden were suddenly briefing senior aides instead, never the president himself.

Some began to question whether this new layer of insulation was being used to control what information Biden received — and to influence the decisions he made. 'I thought it was strange,' the official added, 'and wondered if it was a way of filtering out particular information and directing Biden's decision-making.'

According to the book, some top officials were left wondering whether Biden was truly the one making calls, or whether his aides were subtly steering outcomes. As one secretary put it, 'Yes, the president is making decisions, but if the inner circle is shaping them in such a way, is it really a decision?'

Aides Filtering the President's World

In the book, the authors describe how Biden's inner circle — including Mike Donilon, Steve Ricchetti, and Annie Tomasini — effectively became the gatekeepers to the president.

As Biden's capacity to engage declined, they increasingly controlled who saw him and when. One secretary observed, 'From October 2023 on, the Cabinet was kept at bay.' The same official said, 'There was clearly a deliberate strategy by the White House to have him meet with as few people as necessary.'

This tightening control wasn't without its consequences. Another secretary, who did manage to meet Biden during this period, was stunned. The president appeared 'disoriented' and 'out of it, his mouth agape,' the book states. The same official said that aides were 'shielding him in every meeting.'

Despite their proximity, few in the president's circle raised the alarm. 'The staff did him wrong,' one Cabinet member told the authors. 'If you were with him every day and you knew this was a problem, why didn't you go to him and say something?'

Signs of Strain and Denial

Original Sin details moments that hint at a more serious decline than was publicly acknowledged. In one troubling incident, Biden reportedly failed to recognise George Clooney at a 2024 fundraiser, despite their longstanding acquaintance and Clooney's role in organising one of the campaign's biggest events.

The book also states that aides privately discussed whether Biden would need a wheelchair for a second term.

While some feared Biden was slipping, others stopped short of diagnosing any condition. 'I don't think he has dementia,' one Cabinet secretary said. 'But the thing is, he's an old man. The president can give you four to six good hours a day. When he got tired, sloppy isn't the right word, but his guard was down.'

In response to the book, a Biden spokesperson has disputed the claims: 'We continue to await anything that shows Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision, where national security was threatened, or where he was unable to do his job. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite—he was a very effective president.'

In a development that adds further context to the concerns outlined in Original Sin, Biden's office confirmed on Sunday that the former president, now 82, has been diagnosed with prostate cancer that has spread to his bones.