Tue May 13 15:20:00 UTC 2025: Here’s a summary of the text followed by a news article based on it:
**Summary:**
Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson’s book, “Original Sin,” alleges that President Biden’s decision to run for re-election in 2024, coupled with efforts to conceal his cognitive decline, was a disastrous error. The book details how Biden’s aides and family enabled his candidacy despite growing concerns about his fitness for office, particularly as evidenced by a disastrous debate performance. Through numerous interviews, the authors paint a picture of a cover-up, where concerns about Biden’s mental state were dismissed or actively hidden from donors, political figures, and the public. The book explores the consequences of this “original sin,” including the sidelining of Vice President Harris, attacks on journalists reporting on the concerns, and a lack of transparency with the American people.
**News Article:**
**Book Alleges Biden Aides Covered Up Cognitive Decline, Enabled Disastrous Re-Election Bid**
**Washington D.C.** – A new book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios national political correspondent Alex Thompson, titled “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” claims President Biden’s decision to seek re-election in 2024 was a grave mistake exacerbated by a coordinated effort to conceal his cognitive decline.
The book, based on approximately 200 interviews including high-level insiders, paints a stark picture of an aging president whose aides and family members enabled his campaign despite growing concerns about his mental and physical fitness. According to the authors, alarmed donors and political figures were kept in the dark about Biden’s condition, while others who witnessed the decline firsthand chose to ignore it.
“The original sin of Election 2024 was Biden’s decision to run for re-election — followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment,” Tapper and Thompson write.
The book cites Biden’s poor performance in the first presidential debate as a key moment, revealing the extent of his struggles to the American public. Prior to the debate, the authors allege, Biden’s appearances were carefully managed to mask his declining condition.
“Original Sin” further contends that this “cover-up” led to the sidelining of Vice President Kamala Harris, attacks on journalists reporting on the concerns, and ultimately left the American public uninformed about the president’s true state.
The book quotes a prominent Democratic strategist, who publicly defended Biden, as saying, “He stole an election from the Democratic Party; he stole it from the American people.”
Tapper and Thompson argue that concerns about a second Trump term should have heightened the urgency to address Biden’s fitness for office, rather than serve as a justification for concealing the truth. The book is likely to spark intense debate about the role of age and transparency in presidential politics.
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