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Original Sin

President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again

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Original Sin

Written by: Jake Tapper, Alex Thompson
Narrated by: Jake Tapper
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About this listen

THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER

The damning inside story of Joe Biden's decline while in office – and the desperate attempts of his inner circle to hide it from the American people.

'Explosive' Guardian
'Explosive' The Times
'Explosive' Daily Mail
'Explosive' Politico
'Explosive' New York Times

Joe Biden, his family and his senior aides were convinced that only he could beat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. So convinced, in fact, that that they embarked upon a remarkable campaign of denial and gaslighting against the American public – lying to themselves, allies, the media and voters about his true condition.

Only now is the full, unsettling truth coming to light. Here, two of America’s best-respected political journalists take us behind closed doors to reveal the extent of Biden’s decline and who knew about it, from White House staffers to senators to Hollywood celebrities. They paint President Biden’s decision to run for re-election as shockingly narcissistic, delusional and reckless – and the wider cover-up as an act of unprecedented public deception.

The story the authors tell raises fundamental issues of accountability and responsibility that will endure for decades. In the name of defeating what they called an existential threat to democracy, Biden and his inner circle all but ensured it, denying the existence of health issues the nation had been watching for years. His decision to run again was the original sin of his presidency – the moment that led directly to Donald Trump’s return to power and all that has come since.

'How American voters became victims of one of the great political cover-ups of modern times . . . It was the gaslighting of a nation.' The Times

'A damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, aging president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term.' New York Times

'The shocking truth of the last year of Biden’s presidency . . . Original Sin presents a scathing account of an elderly, egotistical president cocooned from reality.' Guardian

'Original Sin's simple assessment of the 2024 race is more compelling than anything else I’ve read about it . . . Extensive reporting and clear-eyed prose.' Washington Post

 Corruption & Misconduct Elections & Political Process Political Campaigns & Elections Political Parties Politics & Activism Politics & Government Presidents & Heads of State United States World

Critic Reviews

Damning and well-documented.
A scathing account of an elderly, egotistical president cocooned from reality seeking re-election in 2024 despite significant concerns about his declining health and cognitive abilities.
Tapper and Thompson's portrait of a decrepit American president is devastating... Original Sin succeeds because it has a strong thesis and an arresting narrative, delivered in made-for-TV episodes.
How American voters became victims of one of the great poltiical cover-ups of modern times . . . It was the gaslighting of a nation.
A fascinating insight... this book shines a blinding light on the extent to which Joe Biden was ageing rapidly, becoming tired and confused and patently unfit for a second term in office.
Explosive . . . Tapper and Thompson have done the [Democratic] party a favor. Some sort of reckoning is due for the disastrous missteps that that paved the way for Trump’s return.
[The] most significant book to date about Biden’s cognitive decline, which was written by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson and draws on hundreds of interviews . . . To their credit, they do little editorializing. The book is written not unlike an autopsy report, describing a gruesome political car crash in dispassionate, clinical detail.
Superbly reported . . . Reads like a Shakespearean drama on steroids.
Original Sin is not really a 'campaign book'—its account of the 2024 election largely ends after Biden drops out—but its simple assessment of the race is more compelling than anything else I’ve read about it . . . Original Sin is rarely better than when Tapper and Thompson are writing—with extensive reporting and clear-eyed prose—about the disaster that Biden caused . . . Over the next year, dozens of books will appear that attempt to explain this election. It’s hard to imagine any doing better than that.
A damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, ageing president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term.
All stars
Most relevant
Well narrated and gripping. Loved the depth of research and truth seeking.

"Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, tells a tragic and explosive story of Joe Biden’s decision to run for a second term despite clear signs of serious cognitive and physical decline. The book reveals how Biden, his family, and senior aides engaged in a prolonged cover-up of his deteriorating health, misleading the public and the Democratic Party.

The narrative unfolds like a Greek tragedy, where Biden’s refusal to step aside—believing only he could defeat Donald Trump—became his downfall. The June 2024 presidential debate, moderated by Tapper himself, exposed Biden’s faltering mental state to the nation, shocking Democrats and voters alike. Behind closed doors, aides and political leaders had long been aware of Biden’s decline, describing him as a "non-functioning" president propped up by a small circle of loyal aides.

The authors detail how this cover-up was not just a failure of Biden’s inner circle but also of the media, which largely avoided confronting the issue until it was too late. Many Democrats privately accepted Biden’s diminished capacity as preferable to Trump’s return, but this calculus led to disastrous consequences: Biden dropped out after the debate, endorsing Kamala Harris, who had little time to mount a viable campaign, resulting in a Trump victory.

The book exposes the human cost of this deception—how Biden’s original sin of running again, despite his decline, led to denial, gaslighting, and political ruin. It raises profound questions about accountability, transparency, and the responsibilities of leaders and the press in safeguarding democracy. Tapper and Thompson’s investigative work reads like a horror script, revealing a presidency and a party undone by hubris and secrecy.

Fabulous read

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