Biden's Health Concerns Spark Debate Among Democrats
Democrats express concern over Biden's health condition
A new book by U.S. journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, titled "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," sparks controversy over President Joe Biden's deteriorating mental and physical condition. The book, published recently, claims that the President has been shielded from the public to conceal the extent of his decline, causing unease among Democratic lawmakers, White House staff, and political donors.
The authors allege that Biden has experienced moments of memory loss, incoherence, and difficulty maintaining his train of thought during the last two years of his presidency. They reveal scenes of shock and disbelief among Democratic circles as they witnessed Biden's physical and mental decline, even as he embarked on his re-election campaign.
The book demonstrates that, despite concerns about Biden's ability to perform as president, his close circle, including his family and long-time advisors, justified and supported his decision to run again for self-interest and fear of a second term by former President Donald Trump.
Biden's age and health are under increased scrutiny following the announcement last Sunday that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that has spread to his bones. His family and doctors are supposedly considering treatment options. The cancer diagnosis received sympathetic responses, even from Trump himself, who expressed his well-wishes to the Biden family.
However, the debate over Biden's decision to run for re-election continues. On Monday, Vice President JD Vance expressed concern about the former president's ability to carry out the job, while emphasizing sympathy for Biden's health issues. Vance suggested that anyone who is not physically or mentally capable should not assume the presidency.
The book provides evidence of Biden's struggles, with scenes such as forgetting the names of senior aides like Jake Sullivan and Kate Bedingfield in December 2022, appearing unfamiliar with Democratic National Committee head Jamie Harrison, and failing to recognize actor George Clooney, a long-time acquaintance. The authors also report that some members of Biden's cabinet felt he was not prepared to handle a national emergency at 2 a.m.
Tapper and Thompson have based their book on over 200 interviews with Democratic insiders, mostly conducted after the 2024 election. The book details concern about Biden's health as early as 2020, particularly accelerating in the two years leading up to the 2024 presidential debate with Donald Trump, which was a apparent indication of Biden's mental decline.
Biden and his family have not responded officially to the claims made in the book. However, a Biden spokesperson has criticized the book, arguing that the facts show Biden to have been a very effective president, contradicting the authors' assertions about the president's mental decline.
- Science and medical-conditions are at the forefront in the debate over President Joe Biden's fitness for the 2024 US presidential election, as concerns about his age, memory loss, and neurological disorders have been raised in the book "Original Sin."
- The book details that the Democrat's aging president has had difficulty maintaining his train of thought and remembering the names of senior aides, sparking worries about his ability to handle a national emergency in the middle of the night.
- In the context of health-and-wellness and mental-health, questions have arisen about Biden's endurance to lead the country, with Vice President JD Vance recently expressing concern about his ability to carry out the president's duties effectively.
- Simultaneously, politics continues to play a significant role in this debate, as the authors claim that Biden's close circle justified his re-election bid because of self-interest and fear of a second term by former President Donald Trump, which may lead to debates on the impact of aging at the highest level of general-news in future elections.
