In the wake of the 2024 presidential election, a new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson, has sent shockwaves through political circles. This meticulously reported exposé, based on interviews with over 200 insiders, paints a devastating picture of President Joe Biden’s mental and physical decline during his presidency—a decline that was hidden by his closest aides, costing Democrats the White House and leaving a fractured legacy. Written at an 11th-grade reading level, this article explores the key revelations from Original Sin and the lessons Democrats must learn as they face a resurgent Donald Trump.
The story begins with Biden’s 2020 victory, which he interpreted as a grand mandate, reminiscent of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s sweeping reforms. But by 2024, whispers about his frailty had grown louder. The turning point came during a catastrophic debate against Trump in June 2024, where Biden’s halting speech and inability to articulate a vision confirmed what many voters already suspected: he was unfit for another term. Less than a month later, Biden withdrew, passing the Democratic nomination to Vice President Kamala Harris. Yet, as Tapper and Thompson argue, the damage was done. The Democratic Party’s failure to confront Biden’s decline earlier handed Trump a second term.
The book’s opening chapter, titled “He Fucked Us,” quotes David Plouffe, a senior adviser to Harris’s campaign and Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign manager. Plouffe’s blunt assessment—“We got so screwed by Biden as a party”—captures the raw frustration among Democrats. Harris, described as a “great soldier,” was left to navigate a “fucking nightmare” of a campaign, burdened by Biden’s insistence on running despite clear signs of deterioration. Meanwhile, Biden loyalists criticized Harris, with some regretting that Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer wasn’t chosen as VP instead, citing Harris’s perceived lack of effort and likability.
Tapper and Thompson reveal that Biden’s decline was no secret to those inside his administration. Cabinet secretaries admitted that by 2024, Biden couldn’t be relied upon to handle a 2 a.m. emergency call. Senators and aides reported moments of confusion, like Biden struggling to recall the name of longtime aide Mike Donilon during a 2019 campaign event—a red flag ignored by his inner circle, dubbed the “Politburo.” This group, including Jill Biden, Hunter Biden, Donilon, Steve Richetti, and Ron Klain, tightly controlled access to the president, shielding his weaknesses. One senior aide, who left the administration, lamented, “I love Joe Biden… Still, it was a disservice to the country and to the party for his family and advisers to allow him to run again.”
The cover-up wasn’t just about loyalty; it was a calculated effort to maintain power. Biden’s team cleared the Democratic primary field, sidelining challengers like Representative Dean Phillips and discouraging governors from running. They relied on scripted events, teleprompters at small fundraisers, and limited interactions with Congress to mask Biden’s struggles. Members of Congress who attended a 2022 White House Christmas party were shocked when they saw Biden a year later, noting a stark decline. Yet, the Politburo insisted Biden was the only one who could beat Trump, dismissing voter concerns and critical media coverage as lies or “cheapfakes.”
The book also highlights the media’s role—or lack thereof—in exposing this crisis. Tapper, reflecting on his own reporting, admits he “barely scratched the surface” of Biden’s decline. The legacy media, he argues, was too slow to investigate, intimidated by aggressive pushback from Biden’s team and reluctant to hurt Democrats’ chances against Trump. Meanwhile, conservative media sounded the alarm early, capitalizing on public skepticism. This delay eroded trust in journalism, with Tapper noting, “People don’t trust us… One of the reasons is what just happened with Joe Biden and his acuity.”
Biden’s recent diagnosis with metastatic prostate cancer, announced days before the book’s release, adds a tragic layer to the story. Experts like Dr. Zeke Emanuel suggest Biden likely had the condition during his presidency, raising questions about transparency. While Tapper expresses sympathy, he emphasizes that the public’s distrust stems from a long history of politicians concealing health issues, from George Washington to Dianne Feinstein.
Original Sin is more than a political post-mortem; it’s a call to action. Democrats, Tapper argues, must confront their role in this “big lie” to rebuild trust. The party’s gaslighting—insisting Biden was fine while voters saw otherwise—fueled anger and contributed to Trump’s victory. As George Clooney, who publicly urged Biden to step down, put it, “How do you think we got Trump?” The book’s 350 pages, filled with candid accounts from Democrats, reveal a party in denial, now grappling with the consequences.