Biden Aides Discussed Putting Him in a Wheelchair for Potential Second Term: Book

Aides to former President Joe Biden privately discussed putting him in a wheelchair should he have managed to win a second term, according to new details from an upcoming book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson.

According to details published today by Axios, in Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, Thompson and Tapper write that concern about Biden’s declining health was so acute among his staff that “there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election.”

“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 book adds. 

Fears over the optics of a president in a wheelchair in the middle of a reelection campaign ultimately stayed their hand, but Thompson and Tapper write that the former president’s team began taking precautions to avoid falls or other incidents, including decreasing the amount of walking expected of him, briefing him on routes, and having him wear sneakers more often. 

In a statement to Axios, a Biden spokesperson said that the former president’s stiff gait toward the end of his term had been “caused, in part, by wear and tear to his spine — but that no special treatment was necessary and that it had not worsened.”

“He was transparent about this, and it was far from ‘severe,'” they added. “Yes, there were physical changes as he got older, but evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity … 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.”

The New Yorker published a full excerpt from Original Sin, recounting a high-profile 2024 fundraiser where several attendees were dismayed at Biden’s diminished physical and mental state. George Clooney, who has known Biden for years, hosted the event — and Biden didn’t even recognize him.
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“Thank you for being here,” Biden told Clooney, apparently unaware he was speaking to the A-list actor.

“You know George,” an aide reportedly told Biden, to no avail. The aide clarified that he was speaking with George Clooney, the actor, and Biden finally remembered. “It was not O.K.,” a Hollywood VIP who saw the exchange told Tapper and Thompson. “That thing, the moment where you recognize someone you know — especially a famous person who’s doing a fucking fundraiser for you — it was delayed. It was uncomfortable.”

The problem wasn’t just that Biden was the president of the United States, but that he was in the middle of a campaign to win reelection and keep Donald Trump from returning to office. According to a separate review of Original Sin by The Guardian, which obtained a copy of the book, former Obama campaign manager David Plouffe told the authors of Original Sin that Biden “totally fucked us” by clinging onto the campaign despite clear signs to exit the race. 

Another source who spoke to Tapper and Thompson said that staff had “attempted to shield [Biden] from his own staff so many people didn’t realize the extent of the decline beginning in 2023.” 
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“I love Joe Biden. When it comes to decency, there are few in politics like him. Still, it was a disservice to the country and to the party for his family and advisers to allow him to run again,” the unnamed senior aide added. A prominent Democratic strategist is quoted saying that “it was an abomination” and that Biden “stole an election from the Democratic party; he stole it from the American people.”

There were several moments where Biden’s age and mental decline were clearly visible in the waning months of his presidency, most notably during his disastrous debate against President Donald Trump in June 2024. Set for release on May 20, Original Sin will grapple with the decline in Biden’s health as it unfolded both privately and publicly — and how the former president’s refusal to step aside and pass the torch until mere months before the election may have set the stage for a second Trump term.