President Joe Biden’s aides had become so concerned about his physical deterioration that they’d reportedly discussed him using a wheelchair if he won re-election.
The conversations, which were had in private among his advisers, were laid bare in a new book co-authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper that details the lengths to which the Biden administration and its allies tried to “cover-up” of his decline.
“Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election,” Tapper and his co-author, Axios’ Alex Thompson, wrote in “Original Sin.”
The aides noted, though, that it was politically untenable to have an 81-year-old Biden appear on the campaign trail in a wheelchair, according to an excerpt of the book published by Axios.
“Given Biden’s age, [his physician Kevin O’Connor] also privately said that if he had another bad fall, a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery,” the authors wrote.
Biden, his family and aides have been repeatedly ripped for dismissing growing concerns about the oldest-ever president’s age and mental acuity towards the tail end of his administration.
He was also dogged by countless negative polls in the lead-up to Election Day amid widespread fears that his physical stumbles, verbal gaffes and moments of confusion were signs of advanced aging and cognitive decline.
At the time, the White House, repeatedly insisted there was no cover-up and that he was in good health.
Lefty media, including Tapper himself, have since come under fire, too, for dismissing concerns about the then-president’s physical and mental ability during the campaign.
Tapper, for his part, repeatedly chastised conservatives who flagged concerns.
Mounting pressure over Biden’s mental decline, as well as dismal polling ultimately led Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race and endorse his then-vice president Kamala Harris.
A Biden spokesperson dismissed the book’s claims of a cover-up, saying “Yes, there were physical changes as he got older, but evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity.”
“And so far, we are still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite — he was a very effective president.”
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