CNN Anchor and Others Who Covered Biden Claim in New Book
"Biden's Spine Severely Deteriorated... Unstable Gait"
It has been revealed that the use of a wheelchair by former US President Joe Biden, who withdrew from last year's presidential election after being embroiled in rumors about his health, was discussed internally. Additionally, there have been claims that former President Biden failed to recognize George Clooney, a top actor and longtime acquaintance of several decades.
According to US online media outlet Axios on the 13th (local time), Alex Thompson of Axios and Jake Tapper of CNN, who covered former President Biden, stated in their upcoming book "Original Sin," scheduled for release on the 20th, that "Biden, his family, and his team at times justified their attempts to keep a sometimes confused elderly man in the White House for four more years, driven by their own self-interest and fear of Donald Trump’s reelection."
This book is based on interviews with more than 200 people who were familiar with the last two years of Biden’s four-year term. It addresses suspicions that former President Biden concealed health issues and decided to run for re-election despite them.
According to the book, former President Biden became significantly physically weakened between 2023 and 2024. In particular, his spine deteriorated severely, resulting in an unstable gait. At the time, the presidential physician privately stated that, considering Biden’s age, “if another serious fall were to occur, recovery could be difficult, so a wheelchair might be necessary.”
As a result, Biden’s close aides privately discussed the possibility that he might need to use a wheelchair if he succeeded in winning re-election. However, they decided not to use a wheelchair during the re-election campaign for political reasons.
The book claims that former President Biden, his family, and White House officials continued the re-election campaign even after witnessing signs of his physical and mental decline. In response, Biden’s team argued, “Medical examinations confirmed that his gait was stiff due to spinal wear, but no special treatment was required,” adding, “He disclosed this issue transparently, and it was never serious.”
During his presidency, former President Biden was caught on several occasions stumbling or falling in public, fueling rumors about his health. In 2023, he tripped over a sandbag on the stage floor while attending the Air Force Academy graduation ceremony, and in 2021, he stumbled while climbing the stairs to board Air Force One.
The book also raised questions about his cognitive abilities, stating that in mid-June last year, before he abandoned his re-election bid, former President Biden failed to recognize George Clooney at a fundraising event in Los Angeles. The two had known each other for 15 years.
Before the fundraising event, Clooney reportedly greeted then-President Biden first, but Biden appeared not to recognize him, according to the authors. When aides prompted, “Mr. President, you know George, right?” Biden then exchanged greetings with Clooney.
In fact, after the fundraising event, Clooney wrote a column for the New York Times in July last year, stating, “It’s hard to say, but the Joe Biden I stood with at the fundraiser three weeks ago was not the ‘formidable’ Joe Biden of 2010,” and called for former President Biden to withdraw from the presidential race.
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