New book further damages Biden's legacy as it sidesteps the real failure
Washington D.C.: A top campaign aide to Kamala Harris has claimed that Joe Biden’s delayed withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race doomed Democrats’ chances against Donald Trump. What it doesn't do, however, is show why the White House Press Corps and the mainstream media at large simply missed, or turned a blind eye, to the obvious mental decline of a sitting president. Maybe that's because both its authors are journalists.
In 'Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again', authors Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson reveal explosive behind-the-scenes frustrations from key Democratic figures.
David Plouffe, Barack Obama’s 2008 campaign manager and a Harris adviser after Biden’s exit from the presidential 2024 race, called the subsequent 107-day campaign against Trump a “fucking nightmare".
Plouffe blamed Biden directly: “He totally fucked us.” The book, which was obtained by The Guardian, details how Biden’s insistence on running—and his three-week delay in quitting after a disastrous debate—left Harris with an insurmountable disadvantage.
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Plouffe and other Obama alumni had long warned the White House about Biden’s declining sharpness. Donors reportedly voiced concerns over his cognitive struggles and speech difficulties, but Biden’s team repeatedly assured allies he could win. Insiders describe frantic efforts to hide his deterioration, with one senior aide admitting they “shielded him from his own staff” to mask his decline starting in 2023.
The book alleges a broader cover-up, with Biden’s inner circle enabling his doomed re-election bid despite private doubts. A Democratic strategist calls Biden’s decision an “abomination",” accusing him of stealing the election from both the party and voters. Even Obama reportedly urged Biden in 2023 to “make sure you can win", while Hollywood powerbroker Ari Emanuel screamed at Biden confidant Ron Klain: “He needs to drop out! What’s the plan B?”
After Biden’s catastrophic June 2024 debate, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer privately begged him to quit, warning that losing to Trump would tarnish his legacy. Biden finally withdrew on July 21, endorsing Harris—but, the authors argue, it was too late. His hesitation, they claim, paved the way for Trump’s return.
The problem with this book is that it vilifies Biden, but largely absolves everyone else of being part of what can be regarded as one of the biggest cover-ups in US history. Moreover it fails to answer the one question that everyone should be asking: If Biden was so mentally infirm, then who was running the country?