“Undemocratic Things” Justified to Block Trump Return, Biden Aide Says

A new book co-authored by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios political reporter Alex Thompson alleges that senior aides to Joe Biden deliberately concealed signs of his cognitive decline during his presidency and re-election campaign, taking actions that one staffer reportedly described as “undemocratic.”

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The book, titled Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, reveals internal chaos within the Biden-Harris administration during his first term and suggests that top aides were deeply concerned about his ability to serve a second term.

According to Thompson, who appeared Sunday on Fox News Sunday with Shannon Bream, staffers sought to maintain control by managing public appearances and shielding Biden from scrutiny, citing fear of a Donald Trump return to the presidency as justification.

“They just had to win, and then he could disappear for four years,” Thompson said, quoting a Biden aide featured anonymously in the book. “He’d only have to show proof of life every once in a while … His aides could pick up the slack.”

Thompson told Bream that Biden’s aides believed they were justified in taking these actions because they saw President Trump as an “existential threat to democracy.”

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“If you believe — and I think a lot of these people do sincerely believe — that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy, you can rationalize anything, including sometimes doing undemocratic things,” Thompson said.

Bream pointed to a quote in the book from another longtime Biden adviser who acknowledged Biden “shouldn’t be running again” and questioned who would actually be governing if he were re-elected.

“Well, this person went on to say that when you’re voting for a president, you’re voting for the aides around him,” Thompson said.

The revelations come alongside reports of Biden’s inability to recall the names of key staff members and even celebrities like actor George Clooney.

According to the book, Clooney eventually distanced himself from the Biden campaign after an event described as a failure: a simulated town hall produced with the assistance of Steven Spielberg that reportedly fell apart due to Biden’s poor performance.

A separate fundraiser in Los Angeles, which included appearances by former President Barack Obama, was also mentioned.

At that event, Obama was described as needing to “drag Joe across the finish line.” The experience reportedly contributed to Clooney severing ties with Biden.

The book’s claims, based on interviews with current and former Biden officials, point to a concerted effort among his inner circle to minimize public exposure and avoid situations where the president’s decline might be noticeable.

The authors describe a White House in which unelected staffers took increasing control over key decisions, while publicly maintaining the image of a functioning executive.

These disclosures arrive at a time when concerns over Biden’s fitness for office have drawn renewed attention, particularly following his 2024 defeat to President Donald Trump.

Biden lost all seven battleground states and the national popular vote, according to certified election results.

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