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Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again
From two of America’s most respected journalists, an unflinching and explosive reckoning with one of the most fateful decisions in American political life: Joe Biden’s run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline—amid desperate efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration. In Greek tragedy, the protagonist’s effort to avoid his fate is what seals his fate. In 2024, American politics became a Greek tragedy.
Joe Biden launched his successful 2020 bid for the White House with the stated goal of saving the nation from a second Trump presidential term. He, his family, and his senior aides were so convinced that only he could beat Trump again, they lied to themselves, allies, and the public about his condition and limitations. At his debate with Trump on June 27, 2024, the consequences of that deception were exposed to the world. It was shocking and upsetting.
Now the full, unsettling truth is being told for the first time. Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson take us behind closed doors and into private conversations between the heaviest of hitters, revealing how big the problem was and how many people knew about it. From White House staffers at the highest to lowest levels, to leaders of Congress and the Cabinet, from governors to donors and Hollywood players, the truth is finally being told. What you will learn makes President Biden’s decision to run for reelection seem shockingly narcissistic, self-delusional, and reckless—a desperate bet that went bust—and part of a larger act of extended public deception that has few precedents. The story the authors tell raises fundamental issues of accountability and responsibility that will continue for decades.
The irony is that in the name of defeating what they called an existential threat to democracy, Biden and his inner circle ensured it, tossing aside his implicit promise to serve for only one term, denying the existence of health issues the nation had been watching for years, dooming the Democrats to defeat. The decision to run again, the Original Sin of this president, led to a campaign of denial and gaslighting, leading directly to Donald Trump's return to power and all that has happened as a consequence. Rarely does hubris meet nemesis more explosively. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, Original Sin is essential reading.
Joe Biden launched his successful 2020 bid for the White House with the stated goal of saving the nation from a second Trump presidential term. He, his family, and his senior aides were so convinced that only he could beat Trump again, they lied to themselves, allies, and the public about his condition and limitations. At his debate with Trump on June 27, 2024, the consequences of that deception were exposed to the world. It was shocking and upsetting.
Now the full, unsettling truth is being told for the first time. Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson take us behind closed doors and into private conversations between the heaviest of hitters, revealing how big the problem was and how many people knew about it. From White House staffers at the highest to lowest levels, to leaders of Congress and the Cabinet, from governors to donors and Hollywood players, the truth is finally being told. What you will learn makes President Biden’s decision to run for reelection seem shockingly narcissistic, self-delusional, and reckless—a desperate bet that went bust—and part of a larger act of extended public deception that has few precedents. The story the authors tell raises fundamental issues of accountability and responsibility that will continue for decades.
The irony is that in the name of defeating what they called an existential threat to democracy, Biden and his inner circle ensured it, tossing aside his implicit promise to serve for only one term, denying the existence of health issues the nation had been watching for years, dooming the Democrats to defeat. The decision to run again, the Original Sin of this president, led to a campaign of denial and gaslighting, leading directly to Donald Trump's return to power and all that has happened as a consequence. Rarely does hubris meet nemesis more explosively. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum, Original Sin is essential reading.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published May 20, 2025
4163 people are currently reading
7359 people want to read
About the author
Jake Tapper
17 books946 followersJake Tapper is the best-selling author of six books, his most recent being All the Demons Are Here, to be published July 11, 2023 by Little Brown & Co.
On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitled The Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era. The book debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best-Seller List for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best-Seller list for four weeks total. The Associated Press called The Hellfire Club "insightful...well-written and worthwhile." Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good." USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel."
The sequel to The Hellfire Club, The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder.
Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book."
In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.
In addition to The Outpost, Tapper is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the 2000 Presidential election, that The Washington Post called "lively", the Chicago Tribune "a churning effusion well worth reading" and The Daily Telegraph "engrossing". He also wrote Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted by The Washington Post Magazine.
On April 24, 2018, Little, Brown and Company published Tapper's first novel, a political thriller entitled The Hellfire Club. The novel follows a fictitious freshman Congressman discovering corruption and conspiracy in 1950s Washington, at the height of the McCarthy era. The book debuted at Number 3 on the New York Times Best-Seller List for Hardcover fiction, and remained on the Best-Seller list for four weeks total. The Associated Press called The Hellfire Club "insightful...well-written and worthwhile." Tablet Magazine called the novel "startlingly good." USA Today said the author "sizzles" and "proves he has the page-turning knack in his entertaining debut novel."
The sequel to The Hellfire Club, The Devil May Dance, was released in May 2021, and continues the story of the lives of Charlie and Margaret Marder.
Tapper is also the author of The Outpost: An Untold Story of American Valor, a critically acclaimed book about U.S. troops in Afghanistan that debuted at number 10 on The New York Times Best Seller list for hardback non-fiction. Bob Woodward described the book as "Brilliant, dedicated reporting by a journalist who goes to ground to get the truth. A sad, real tale about this war, America and the brave warriors who live—and die—at the point of the spear" and Jon Krakauer called it "a mind-boggling, all-too-true story of heroism, hubris, failed strategy, and heartbreaking sacrifice. If you want to understand how the war in Afghanistan went off the rails, you need to read this book."
In 2014, the Congressional Medal of Honor Society recognized Tapper for the book and his reporting on military topics in general with the Tex McCrary Award for Excellence in Journalism. A Rod Lurie-directed film adaptation of The Outpost was released in July 2020, starring Milo Gibson, Orlando Bloom, Scott Eastwood and Caleb Landry Jones.
In addition to The Outpost, Tapper is the author of Down and Dirty: The Plot to Steal the Presidency, based on the 2000 Presidential election, that The Washington Post called "lively", the Chicago Tribune "a churning effusion well worth reading" and The Daily Telegraph "engrossing". He also wrote Body Slam: The Jesse Ventura Story (St. Martin's Press) that was excerpted by The Washington Post Magazine.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 2,202 reviews
May 25, 2025
PLEASE NOTE: I would be exceedingly grateful that if you are a Trump supporter that you bypass reading and commenting on my review. I honestly have no tolerance for what you have done to our country by voting for Trump or continuing to support him. Especially after serving witness to the havoc he and his cohorts continue to create in our country and abroad. Thank you.
Full Disclosure: I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book. And, I wasn’t sure why this book needed to be written by these supposed ‘respected’ journalists. Especially when it was learned that the anonymous sources who made up most of the alleged book’s claims were unreliable. The authors say they talked with 100’s of sources. And yet, only a dozen are ‘willing’ to be on the record, and barely any are standing behind ‘their’ quotes. What gives?
Naomi Biden, President Biden’s granddaughter, considered this a “silly book” one that was filled with “political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class.” Of course, she would defend her grandfather, but her concerns do pose relevant questions about the timing and true intentions for such a book.
For those who still choose to believe this is another ‘I told you so’ story against Biden, I hope you will soon come to recognize the lack of consistency within this book, where ‘evidence’ to support the title of this book appears sketchy. I leave that to readers to discover.
Mostly, this is my take on what really should have been discussed.
I happen to be a true fan of President Biden and his illustrious career as a civil servant. And, in my continued, full disclosure I want it known that, I respect President Biden’s accomplishments while in service to our country. I recognize that he was imperfect, but I have to believe, being in the public eye isn’t an easy position for anyone. And, thus many trips and flubs will most likely be noted, especially by those looking for fodder.
Still, we can’t help but note his vast accomplishments while President. To begin, Biden worked to minimize the damage of Covid, which Trump irresponsibly let enter our country during his first administration. Because Trump arrogantly and blatantly ignored the blueprint for handling pandemics that was left for him by President Obama and then Vice President Biden.
Also, there were so many wins under Biden’s leadership. Some of which include but are not limited to…
He created a phenomenal executive team of competent, well-educated visionary leaders; added millions of jobs, tackled junk fees, built a fairer tax system, worked towards affordable housing for Americans, provided for a healthy economy, gave our country the American Recovery Act, the Chips and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act; united, reinvigorated and strengthened NATO, supported Ukraine, supported student debt relief, protected Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare; advanced equality, racial justice and reproductive rights, delivered for diverse communities, provided for infrastructure funding across the states; as well, as continued to strengthen the pandemic response. Amongst many other programs that helped countless Americans. Including responding immediately to any weather induced or horrific crisis in which support was needed throughout the states.
For anyone believing that our country wasn’t in a better place under President Biden, in comparison to our current circumstances under Trump (even his first administration), has to be delusional.
Mostly, we as Americans could always count on Biden’s love of this country and the people, despite how they voted. He represented everyone. Equally.
His son, Hunter Biden shared recently, “That unconditional love has been his North Star as a President, and as a parent. He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years.”
There is so much to appreciate about Joe Biden for all that he has given to this country. That sometimes it is difficult to remember those moments when I was actually angry with him. The one time being when he chose to run again for President. I didn’t want him to do it. I thought he was only going to be a one-term President, and that was fine with me. By choosing to run, I believe he may have inadvertently set in motion the very circumstances we are facing in today’s world – and, especially in today’s un-United States. And, that is what concerned me then and now. President Biden deserves to be remembered for his legacy of service, not for whatever Tapper and his co-writer, Alex Thompson is choosing to blame him for within these pages.
The dismantling of our country by Trump, a conman, criminal, and his unethical, spineless henchmen, and countless cult-like followers who have no decency to consider the truth of what their vote has done and continues to do to our country, is what we should be concerned about – not whether Biden’s health, or decision to run again is the deciding factor for the current mess are country is in.
And, most of all, we cannot forget the flame that lit the fire in the first place. Mitch McConnell. I blame him most of all. Mitch McConnell is the lead factor for Trump being able to be in the oval office today. If McConnell would have done the right thing, by leading the GOP to convict Trump in the initial impeachment trial we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Trump was guilty, McConnell knew it, and he also knew it should have been handled on his watch as Majority Leader. He and his GOP complicit counterparts were just as guilty in putting our country in the hands of this authoritarian madman. The corruption continues relentlessly, and it astounds me that his followers are sitting by and letting Trump and his minions (those elected, and those who were not elected or legally appointed) to continue to get away with it. Shame on them.
Tapper and Thompson consider this book a tragedy. Their description for Biden. They describe Biden as failing with political allies, or aides helping him through important conversations. A mental decline that should have been noticed sooner, by the authors as journalists. By Congress. By everyone. And yet, they offer no set date as to when the decline actually began.
And, even if Tapper shares a sense of empathy for Biden, as a journalist he still felt the need to talk about the deterioration of the man’s mind openly. Tapper saw it as a cover-up. That needed to be revealed now. What Tapper and Thompson now consider their investigative deep dive into Biden’s deteriorating condition, and how ‘everyone’ protected him.
So, is this an important story? Does it matter now? The point for me, is this really the story journalists need to be writing now?
Regardless, did any of this impair Biden’s ability to do his job? Look at Biden’s accomplishments. Tapper/Thompson even concluded that his critics could “attest to Biden’s ability to make sound decisions.” So, what’s the big deal here?
Look at all Biden had to endure during his Presidency. Even an impeachment of Trump and an insurrection incited by Trump prior to Biden taking office. And, with an uncooperative Congress at most times. And, the ridiculous and unrelenting lawsuits proving over and over again that the 2020 election was not stolen – despite what Trump continues to claim, Biden did his best to get legislation passed and funding to where it was most needed.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Tapper felt that keeping information from the public about Biden’s declining health could be considered a “horrible cover-up of something that wasn’t technically a crime, but you could argue morally it was.”
Maybe Tapper/Thompson should be concerned about what is going on in Trump’s head, and that should be the real story. Not this one. Trump is the true moral crime.
And since, the authors also concluded that staff and political allies felt Biden was able to do his job, again I ask, what is the big deal here about Biden?
Because as Trump is unraveling and destroying literally every institution in America, shouldn’t this be something everyone should be concerned about now? And, what about the ‘words’ that come out of Trump’s mouth? Have the authors followed his speeches that don’t make sense? His erratic behavior which is always on full display, even as staff say to not take his comments seriously? His relentless and vitriol threats and verbal attacks on individuals and countries? The disinformation, exaggerations and lies and lack of historical accuracy that Trump spews? But mostly…Clearly laws are being broken, the constitution is not being followed, and Trump and his GOP administration show absolutely no respect for American democracy or the rule of law.
“The president of the United States appears to have long ago forgotten that Americans fought the Revolutionary War not merely to secure their independence from the British monarchy but to establish a government of laws, not of men, so that they and future generations of Americans would never again be subject to the whims of a tyrannical king.” – J. Michael Luttig – Lawyer and former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, “The End of Rule of Law in America” – The Atlantic, May 14, 2025
PLEASE. Stop the madness. Stop going after or blaming Biden. Go after the true bully, the true criminal in this dark VERY present story. Remove Trump now. Impeach, Convict and Remove him from office. For real this time. We have a country and citizens to protect here.
Please Tapper/Thompson re-direct your reporting energies. There are obviously more important things to focus on.
Full Disclosure: I wasn’t sure I wanted to read this book. And, I wasn’t sure why this book needed to be written by these supposed ‘respected’ journalists. Especially when it was learned that the anonymous sources who made up most of the alleged book’s claims were unreliable. The authors say they talked with 100’s of sources. And yet, only a dozen are ‘willing’ to be on the record, and barely any are standing behind ‘their’ quotes. What gives?
Naomi Biden, President Biden’s granddaughter, considered this a “silly book” one that was filled with “political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class.” Of course, she would defend her grandfather, but her concerns do pose relevant questions about the timing and true intentions for such a book.
For those who still choose to believe this is another ‘I told you so’ story against Biden, I hope you will soon come to recognize the lack of consistency within this book, where ‘evidence’ to support the title of this book appears sketchy. I leave that to readers to discover.
Mostly, this is my take on what really should have been discussed.
I happen to be a true fan of President Biden and his illustrious career as a civil servant. And, in my continued, full disclosure I want it known that, I respect President Biden’s accomplishments while in service to our country. I recognize that he was imperfect, but I have to believe, being in the public eye isn’t an easy position for anyone. And, thus many trips and flubs will most likely be noted, especially by those looking for fodder.
Still, we can’t help but note his vast accomplishments while President. To begin, Biden worked to minimize the damage of Covid, which Trump irresponsibly let enter our country during his first administration. Because Trump arrogantly and blatantly ignored the blueprint for handling pandemics that was left for him by President Obama and then Vice President Biden.
Also, there were so many wins under Biden’s leadership. Some of which include but are not limited to…
He created a phenomenal executive team of competent, well-educated visionary leaders; added millions of jobs, tackled junk fees, built a fairer tax system, worked towards affordable housing for Americans, provided for a healthy economy, gave our country the American Recovery Act, the Chips and Science Act, the Inflation Reduction Act; united, reinvigorated and strengthened NATO, supported Ukraine, supported student debt relief, protected Social Security, Medicaid and Medicare; advanced equality, racial justice and reproductive rights, delivered for diverse communities, provided for infrastructure funding across the states; as well, as continued to strengthen the pandemic response. Amongst many other programs that helped countless Americans. Including responding immediately to any weather induced or horrific crisis in which support was needed throughout the states.
For anyone believing that our country wasn’t in a better place under President Biden, in comparison to our current circumstances under Trump (even his first administration), has to be delusional.
Mostly, we as Americans could always count on Biden’s love of this country and the people, despite how they voted. He represented everyone. Equally.
His son, Hunter Biden shared recently, “That unconditional love has been his North Star as a President, and as a parent. He is unique in public life today, in that there is no distance between Joe Biden the man and Joe Biden the public servant of the last 54 years.”
There is so much to appreciate about Joe Biden for all that he has given to this country. That sometimes it is difficult to remember those moments when I was actually angry with him. The one time being when he chose to run again for President. I didn’t want him to do it. I thought he was only going to be a one-term President, and that was fine with me. By choosing to run, I believe he may have inadvertently set in motion the very circumstances we are facing in today’s world – and, especially in today’s un-United States. And, that is what concerned me then and now. President Biden deserves to be remembered for his legacy of service, not for whatever Tapper and his co-writer, Alex Thompson is choosing to blame him for within these pages.
The dismantling of our country by Trump, a conman, criminal, and his unethical, spineless henchmen, and countless cult-like followers who have no decency to consider the truth of what their vote has done and continues to do to our country, is what we should be concerned about – not whether Biden’s health, or decision to run again is the deciding factor for the current mess are country is in.
And, most of all, we cannot forget the flame that lit the fire in the first place. Mitch McConnell. I blame him most of all. Mitch McConnell is the lead factor for Trump being able to be in the oval office today. If McConnell would have done the right thing, by leading the GOP to convict Trump in the initial impeachment trial we wouldn’t be having this conversation.
Trump was guilty, McConnell knew it, and he also knew it should have been handled on his watch as Majority Leader. He and his GOP complicit counterparts were just as guilty in putting our country in the hands of this authoritarian madman. The corruption continues relentlessly, and it astounds me that his followers are sitting by and letting Trump and his minions (those elected, and those who were not elected or legally appointed) to continue to get away with it. Shame on them.
Tapper and Thompson consider this book a tragedy. Their description for Biden. They describe Biden as failing with political allies, or aides helping him through important conversations. A mental decline that should have been noticed sooner, by the authors as journalists. By Congress. By everyone. And yet, they offer no set date as to when the decline actually began.
And, even if Tapper shares a sense of empathy for Biden, as a journalist he still felt the need to talk about the deterioration of the man’s mind openly. Tapper saw it as a cover-up. That needed to be revealed now. What Tapper and Thompson now consider their investigative deep dive into Biden’s deteriorating condition, and how ‘everyone’ protected him.
So, is this an important story? Does it matter now? The point for me, is this really the story journalists need to be writing now?
Regardless, did any of this impair Biden’s ability to do his job? Look at Biden’s accomplishments. Tapper/Thompson even concluded that his critics could “attest to Biden’s ability to make sound decisions.” So, what’s the big deal here?
Look at all Biden had to endure during his Presidency. Even an impeachment of Trump and an insurrection incited by Trump prior to Biden taking office. And, with an uncooperative Congress at most times. And, the ridiculous and unrelenting lawsuits proving over and over again that the 2020 election was not stolen – despite what Trump continues to claim, Biden did his best to get legislation passed and funding to where it was most needed.
In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Tapper felt that keeping information from the public about Biden’s declining health could be considered a “horrible cover-up of something that wasn’t technically a crime, but you could argue morally it was.”
Maybe Tapper/Thompson should be concerned about what is going on in Trump’s head, and that should be the real story. Not this one. Trump is the true moral crime.
And since, the authors also concluded that staff and political allies felt Biden was able to do his job, again I ask, what is the big deal here about Biden?
Because as Trump is unraveling and destroying literally every institution in America, shouldn’t this be something everyone should be concerned about now? And, what about the ‘words’ that come out of Trump’s mouth? Have the authors followed his speeches that don’t make sense? His erratic behavior which is always on full display, even as staff say to not take his comments seriously? His relentless and vitriol threats and verbal attacks on individuals and countries? The disinformation, exaggerations and lies and lack of historical accuracy that Trump spews? But mostly…Clearly laws are being broken, the constitution is not being followed, and Trump and his GOP administration show absolutely no respect for American democracy or the rule of law.
“The president of the United States appears to have long ago forgotten that Americans fought the Revolutionary War not merely to secure their independence from the British monarchy but to establish a government of laws, not of men, so that they and future generations of Americans would never again be subject to the whims of a tyrannical king.” – J. Michael Luttig – Lawyer and former Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit, “The End of Rule of Law in America” – The Atlantic, May 14, 2025
PLEASE. Stop the madness. Stop going after or blaming Biden. Go after the true bully, the true criminal in this dark VERY present story. Remove Trump now. Impeach, Convict and Remove him from office. For real this time. We have a country and citizens to protect here.
Please Tapper/Thompson re-direct your reporting energies. There are obviously more important things to focus on.
May 21, 2025
Honestly despicable. Maybe report on the president when he’s in office instead of keeping it for a book deal.
June 13, 2025
as a book, tapper and thompson have produced a failure. there are a few tidbits of genuinely new information and a smattering of fresh reporting, but for the most part this is a shoddily constructed, if somewhat comprehensive, summary of events and information that anyone who consistently paid attention to political media in 2023 and 2024 will be well aware of.
as a reporting project, it’s worse than a failure — a simulacrum of beltway media in miniature, an empty vessel and gaping maw. the idea that joe biden’s age wasn’t covered by the mainstream media (of which tapper and thompson are both part) is similarly silly; it was a near-constant topic. and for all his posing as a brave speaker of hard truths to power, tapper, in fact, spent an enormous amount of time repeating the administration line on another (genuine) scandal — american support for israel's horrific crime spree in gaza.
at a time when hundreds have been kidnapped and shipped to a foreign gulag without due process, a lunatic billionaire and his amphetamine-encrusted teenage minions are destroying the federal government, and the constitution has effectively been suspended so that an aging madman and his cronies can rob the country blind for their own benefit, this book and the news cycle being foisted upon us by its supporters are a farce.
joe biden is old? no shit. joe biden shouldn’t have run for re-election? no shit. we probably would’ve been better off if he’d never run in 2020? no shit. he and his inner circle’s hubris were an enormous (and probably decisive) factor in this catastrophe? no shit.
to rehash all of this now, when the man himself has been stricken with cancer and the list of more pressing conversations is enormous, isn’t in the public interest; quite the opposite. it’s a testament to the vapidity of our political press that this book is getting anything but dismissive coverage.
as a reporting project, it’s worse than a failure — a simulacrum of beltway media in miniature, an empty vessel and gaping maw. the idea that joe biden’s age wasn’t covered by the mainstream media (of which tapper and thompson are both part) is similarly silly; it was a near-constant topic. and for all his posing as a brave speaker of hard truths to power, tapper, in fact, spent an enormous amount of time repeating the administration line on another (genuine) scandal — american support for israel's horrific crime spree in gaza.
at a time when hundreds have been kidnapped and shipped to a foreign gulag without due process, a lunatic billionaire and his amphetamine-encrusted teenage minions are destroying the federal government, and the constitution has effectively been suspended so that an aging madman and his cronies can rob the country blind for their own benefit, this book and the news cycle being foisted upon us by its supporters are a farce.
joe biden is old? no shit. joe biden shouldn’t have run for re-election? no shit. we probably would’ve been better off if he’d never run in 2020? no shit. he and his inner circle’s hubris were an enormous (and probably decisive) factor in this catastrophe? no shit.
to rehash all of this now, when the man himself has been stricken with cancer and the list of more pressing conversations is enormous, isn’t in the public interest; quite the opposite. it’s a testament to the vapidity of our political press that this book is getting anything but dismissive coverage.
May 24, 2025
I’m pretty left-leaning—like, I believe in universal healthcare, taxing billionaires until they cry, and the radical idea that people should make their own decisions about their uteruses. Which is why this book felt so necessary.
I found Original Sin incredibly informative, balanced, and frankly to be an essential read. Jake Tapper doesn’t pull punches, but he also doesn’t exaggerate. He lays out how key Democratic leaders seemed more focused on protecting the president’s ego than ensuring the party had a viable long-term strategy to win. It was frustrating and disheartening to read how many opportunities they had to start building up other strong, qualified candidates and how they consistently chose not to.
There’s a part of this that hit close to home for me. My grandfather is around the same age as President Biden, and our family has had to make tough calls about what he should and shouldn’t do. Not because we don’t love or respect him, but because age catches up to everyone. Reading this, I couldn’t help but feel sad imagining Biden sincerely believing he was still the right person for the job, when it was clear to so many of us that he was not.
Personally, I don’t think anyone over 65 should be in elected office. It’s not about ageism. It’s about being grounded in the present and future, and understanding the world younger generations are navigating. The decisions made in the past few years seem completely out of touch with that reality.
This book is an important wake-up call. The Democratic Party needs to be honest with itself and take accountability. Not just for where we are, but for how we got here.
I found Original Sin incredibly informative, balanced, and frankly to be an essential read. Jake Tapper doesn’t pull punches, but he also doesn’t exaggerate. He lays out how key Democratic leaders seemed more focused on protecting the president’s ego than ensuring the party had a viable long-term strategy to win. It was frustrating and disheartening to read how many opportunities they had to start building up other strong, qualified candidates and how they consistently chose not to.
There’s a part of this that hit close to home for me. My grandfather is around the same age as President Biden, and our family has had to make tough calls about what he should and shouldn’t do. Not because we don’t love or respect him, but because age catches up to everyone. Reading this, I couldn’t help but feel sad imagining Biden sincerely believing he was still the right person for the job, when it was clear to so many of us that he was not.
Personally, I don’t think anyone over 65 should be in elected office. It’s not about ageism. It’s about being grounded in the present and future, and understanding the world younger generations are navigating. The decisions made in the past few years seem completely out of touch with that reality.
This book is an important wake-up call. The Democratic Party needs to be honest with itself and take accountability. Not just for where we are, but for how we got here.
June 1, 2025
I've never been shy about my politics: I'm a Democrat. And so I found this book devastating. I believe Joe Biden accomplished a lot in office, and the problems he couldn't solve remain unsolvable. But this account of his last year in office and his re-election bid that ended in July 2024 makes very clear: the individuals who founded our nation were smart to have a minimum age for President, but would have been smarter still to have had a maximum age, too.
May 28, 2025
Hello. This one wasn’t for me and I have to say, I very rarely give out a rating of one when I do a review.
.
But with this book I felt like I really had to. It’s Thursday night, and I am going to do quite the long review of this book.
I read quite a bit of political works. So I’ll start the same way I have in the past with A few of my political reviews.
If you don’t like politics, and you abhor long reviews, you might wanna skip this one because I’ve written thousands of reviews and this is shaping up to be one of the longest.
OK we’ve got that out of the way.
I struggle with how to start my review.
I didn’t like the book. I didn’t like it at all but I don’t want to lash out or write an angry review or anything like that. I want to do a thoughtful and in-depth critique. These words are simply my opinion and will do my best to inform as to the reasons for my dislike of this work.
Before I get started, in the interest of transparency, allow me to say that I am a Democrat, a political writer, and an avid Joe Biden fan.
That does not mean that he is without flaws nor am I , nor are you. Just to exist is to have faults. There can be no denying that.
So. The book starts with a couple of quotes, one of them from William Shakespeare. That was the first warning sign for me and I hadn’t even gotten to any of the two authors words yet.
They also start the book on defense rather than offense, and if you know anything about politics, you know that if one is on defense one is losing.
The two authors first three words are…..
“ Our only agenda….”
These words caused ominous waves to crash through my mind, because when one starts with “Our only agenda”, One suspects that there is, indeed, another agenda bubbling beneath the surface.
The authors also claimed that they spoke to approximately 200 people. I have no reason not to believe them on that. But a lot of these sources are unnamed, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had suspicions about unnamed sources. So you kind of start out not knowing who many of the sources are and whether you can trust anything that they say.
They also say that the questions asked pertain to:
“ Cognitive dissonance, groupthink, Courage, cowardice and patriotism. “ They then invoke George Orwell.
The Orwell quote they use pertains to World War II they say, but really , they explain , it could pertain to any era.
I beg to differ. One simply cannot compare World War II with what happened in the 2024 election.
It seems like propaganda to even try.
Now I’d like a word about the book in general.
There is a constant stream of pick pick picking at former President Biden.
I do not like the myth of Joe Biden as a villain. In my humble opinion, it’s sort of tainted the whole book.
I do not believe that Joe Biden ruined this country. More on that in a minute.
I believe Joe Biden was in a bit of denial, but I ask you this question – who would not be?
How many people have gazed into the mirror one day and got a shock?
How many people when gazing into the mirror see reflected back at them , the person they were, and looked like, 10, 20 or even 30 years ago?
Aging is one of the most difficult things in the world, and talking about it is just as difficult. It’s a subject that should be approached with nuance, and sensitivity.
In my opinion, people handled the whole thing all wrong. This should have involved quiet, behind closed doors conversations.
The writers also refer to Joe Biden as ” The father of this election calamity.”
It’s purely my opinion, but I find that false.
This is my opinion, and you may differ. But in my opinion, there are two patriarchs of this 2024 election calamity and neither of them are Joseph Robinette Biden.
One of them are the voters themselves.
I wish it wasn’t. You don’t know how much, how achingly much, I wish that people voted for, and not against their own self interest.
But many of them don’t. That is just the way it is. So the voters, at least the ones who voted for the other person have to bear some of the brunt.
The second one is the media
Can you do an experiment for me?
If you’re reading this, and you followed the 2024 election, I ask you to close your eyes and try to remember the coverage of the 2024 election.
I ask you to try to remember the coverage before Biden got out of the race
How many television segments do you remember on Joe Biden being elderly? About Joe Biden being perhaps feeble? How many?
Because I seem to remember a lot. I don’t remember much hiding going on. Joe Biden was the scapegoat of many in the media. Not all media, but a lot of them. He was their scapegoat, and they delighted in ripping him to pieces.
Now comes part two of the experiment .
Close your eyes and try to remember the coverage again of the 2024 election. Try to remember how many segments you saw on the ramifications of millions of people losing Medicaid.
How about millions of people losing Social Security?
Are you remembering? How many bright shiny journalists on television talked about these issues? How many segments were there?
Do you remember endless segments on what would happen to the healthcare needs of the American people were Republicans to win the presidency and the Senate and the House of Representatives? I barely remember ANY segment like this.
The writers say that a competitive Democratic primary would’ve made a difference. I respectfully disagree.
One has to remember that there was a wave sweeping not just this country but the world.
Incumbents were being kicked out right and left. I hate to say this, I really really do. But I’m not sure any Democrat could have won with the way elections are treated these days. I’m not sure Superman, could’ve won if he were running on the Democratic ticket.
I also find some aspects of the book to be in poor taste it’s supposed to be about this cover-up and yet the authors spend an inordinate amount of time talking about what happened in Joe Biden‘s past and all the tragedy. Whatever was the point in rehashing this? I mean it.
The writers say that Biden saw himself as a man of historic achievements. If that is true, then Biden happens to be correct. He has often been compared to FDR. He was a damn good president, and to date he really is the only one who’s ever beaten Donald Trump.
The gossipy aspect really got to me, as literally almost all of former President Biden’s faults and foibles were dissected in agonizing detail.
Then there is that interview he gave to the special prosecutor. I want to address this whole thing, propagated not only by the
writers, but by a lot of
different television, pundits and Internet personalities.
They suggest that Biden couldn’t remember certain dates, like the exact date his son died. To the people who bring this up, I say, so what?
.
Do you think every single human being, who’s ever lost someone they love remembers the exact date and year ?
That’s a blanket assumption. It’s also a strawman argument in my humble opinion, and the last thing I’ll say on this particular subject is that it struck me as rather ghoulish.
At about 20 to 25% into the book, Hunter, Biden pops up to make an appearance.
Why? What was the point?
What is the point in rehashing all of this?
I gently want to reprimand the writers a bit on this one.
Shortly after the book was released, tapper and Hunter Biden reportedly got into a little bit of a war of words.
I’m on Hunter side on this one.
I happen to hold Hunter Biden in very high esteem. Yes, he did wrong in the past. But what is this? Are people not allowed to get better?
I know plenty of people in the 12 step program . I consider alcoholism a disease and a fucking terrible one. Anyone who knows someone who has been through it, or has been through it themselves knows it is a nonstop battle. Hunter Biden got sober and the inner strength that shows is admirable .
I just don’t see the point in trashing him .
There were parts of this book that reminded me of all that’s wrong with America.
Then there was the fact I felt hardly anything was new in the book. Joe Biden has a stiff gait. No shit Sherlock. I’m sorry! I really am to be rather crass here , but it’s true.
Now I want to make it clear. The book is not a soliloquy to Trump, a love letter to him. Nothing like that at all.
However, there is one point in the book, where they talk about former President Biden, making a remark that he said, came from a John Wayne film, and then the authors of this book chide Biden it seems, for saying that, offering up the fact that it does not come from any John Wayne movie and implying, at least in my mind, implying, that he did it on purpose.
That is ridiculous.
They also got into the George Clooney letter. I’m sorry but who cares? The whole Country already knew about that.
When the American people go to sleep at night, I doubt most are thinking about George Clooney – sorry, Mr. Clooney
They’re thinking about things like how they’re going to pay their fucking medical bills, because we have a lunatic in Office and a Congress to chicken to stand up to him.
I don’t say that as a Democrat. I say that as human being.
I will close with this. There is one more thing about the book that I didn’t like, and this one was a shocker to me, because it is the one thing I didn’t expect.
It’s the fact that the book is undeniably and unquestionably boring
it’s like staring at peeling paint.
It’s like going to see that really hot action movie. The movie had been hyped up for months, and so you run to the movie theatre!
You run as fast as can be, with your friends on opening night, so enthusiastic and bubbly and you can’t wait to see it. So you’ve seen the previews, and it looks so bright and colorful, and you’re prepared to be dazzled, and then, and then –
You fall asleep in the middle of the theater.
I close with this. I thank President Biden.
I thank him for serving as a damn good president.
I thank him for bringing humility and humanity back to the White House in 2020.
I think him for his warmth and his empathy and his kindness not to mention his wisdom.
Joe Biden is the winner in the end, even though might not feel like it.
Why? Because Biden has a unique
gift, a secret ingredient that not many in politics have. It’s like sunlight, it dazzles. It’s something that Donald Trump, and many political pundits, could only dream about.
That golden gift is - a soul.
.
But with this book I felt like I really had to. It’s Thursday night, and I am going to do quite the long review of this book.
I read quite a bit of political works. So I’ll start the same way I have in the past with A few of my political reviews.
If you don’t like politics, and you abhor long reviews, you might wanna skip this one because I’ve written thousands of reviews and this is shaping up to be one of the longest.
OK we’ve got that out of the way.
I struggle with how to start my review.
I didn’t like the book. I didn’t like it at all but I don’t want to lash out or write an angry review or anything like that. I want to do a thoughtful and in-depth critique. These words are simply my opinion and will do my best to inform as to the reasons for my dislike of this work.
Before I get started, in the interest of transparency, allow me to say that I am a Democrat, a political writer, and an avid Joe Biden fan.
That does not mean that he is without flaws nor am I , nor are you. Just to exist is to have faults. There can be no denying that.
So. The book starts with a couple of quotes, one of them from William Shakespeare. That was the first warning sign for me and I hadn’t even gotten to any of the two authors words yet.
They also start the book on defense rather than offense, and if you know anything about politics, you know that if one is on defense one is losing.
The two authors first three words are…..
“ Our only agenda….”
These words caused ominous waves to crash through my mind, because when one starts with “Our only agenda”, One suspects that there is, indeed, another agenda bubbling beneath the surface.
The authors also claimed that they spoke to approximately 200 people. I have no reason not to believe them on that. But a lot of these sources are unnamed, and I don’t know about you, but I’ve always had suspicions about unnamed sources. So you kind of start out not knowing who many of the sources are and whether you can trust anything that they say.
They also say that the questions asked pertain to:
“ Cognitive dissonance, groupthink, Courage, cowardice and patriotism. “ They then invoke George Orwell.
The Orwell quote they use pertains to World War II they say, but really , they explain , it could pertain to any era.
I beg to differ. One simply cannot compare World War II with what happened in the 2024 election.
It seems like propaganda to even try.
Now I’d like a word about the book in general.
There is a constant stream of pick pick picking at former President Biden.
I do not like the myth of Joe Biden as a villain. In my humble opinion, it’s sort of tainted the whole book.
I do not believe that Joe Biden ruined this country. More on that in a minute.
I believe Joe Biden was in a bit of denial, but I ask you this question – who would not be?
How many people have gazed into the mirror one day and got a shock?
How many people when gazing into the mirror see reflected back at them , the person they were, and looked like, 10, 20 or even 30 years ago?
Aging is one of the most difficult things in the world, and talking about it is just as difficult. It’s a subject that should be approached with nuance, and sensitivity.
In my opinion, people handled the whole thing all wrong. This should have involved quiet, behind closed doors conversations.
The writers also refer to Joe Biden as ” The father of this election calamity.”
It’s purely my opinion, but I find that false.
This is my opinion, and you may differ. But in my opinion, there are two patriarchs of this 2024 election calamity and neither of them are Joseph Robinette Biden.
One of them are the voters themselves.
I wish it wasn’t. You don’t know how much, how achingly much, I wish that people voted for, and not against their own self interest.
But many of them don’t. That is just the way it is. So the voters, at least the ones who voted for the other person have to bear some of the brunt.
The second one is the media
Can you do an experiment for me?
If you’re reading this, and you followed the 2024 election, I ask you to close your eyes and try to remember the coverage of the 2024 election.
I ask you to try to remember the coverage before Biden got out of the race
How many television segments do you remember on Joe Biden being elderly? About Joe Biden being perhaps feeble? How many?
Because I seem to remember a lot. I don’t remember much hiding going on. Joe Biden was the scapegoat of many in the media. Not all media, but a lot of them. He was their scapegoat, and they delighted in ripping him to pieces.
Now comes part two of the experiment .
Close your eyes and try to remember the coverage again of the 2024 election. Try to remember how many segments you saw on the ramifications of millions of people losing Medicaid.
How about millions of people losing Social Security?
Are you remembering? How many bright shiny journalists on television talked about these issues? How many segments were there?
Do you remember endless segments on what would happen to the healthcare needs of the American people were Republicans to win the presidency and the Senate and the House of Representatives? I barely remember ANY segment like this.
The writers say that a competitive Democratic primary would’ve made a difference. I respectfully disagree.
One has to remember that there was a wave sweeping not just this country but the world.
Incumbents were being kicked out right and left. I hate to say this, I really really do. But I’m not sure any Democrat could have won with the way elections are treated these days. I’m not sure Superman, could’ve won if he were running on the Democratic ticket.
I also find some aspects of the book to be in poor taste it’s supposed to be about this cover-up and yet the authors spend an inordinate amount of time talking about what happened in Joe Biden‘s past and all the tragedy. Whatever was the point in rehashing this? I mean it.
The writers say that Biden saw himself as a man of historic achievements. If that is true, then Biden happens to be correct. He has often been compared to FDR. He was a damn good president, and to date he really is the only one who’s ever beaten Donald Trump.
The gossipy aspect really got to me, as literally almost all of former President Biden’s faults and foibles were dissected in agonizing detail.
Then there is that interview he gave to the special prosecutor. I want to address this whole thing, propagated not only by the
writers, but by a lot of
different television, pundits and Internet personalities.
They suggest that Biden couldn’t remember certain dates, like the exact date his son died. To the people who bring this up, I say, so what?
.
Do you think every single human being, who’s ever lost someone they love remembers the exact date and year ?
That’s a blanket assumption. It’s also a strawman argument in my humble opinion, and the last thing I’ll say on this particular subject is that it struck me as rather ghoulish.
At about 20 to 25% into the book, Hunter, Biden pops up to make an appearance.
Why? What was the point?
What is the point in rehashing all of this?
I gently want to reprimand the writers a bit on this one.
Shortly after the book was released, tapper and Hunter Biden reportedly got into a little bit of a war of words.
I’m on Hunter side on this one.
I happen to hold Hunter Biden in very high esteem. Yes, he did wrong in the past. But what is this? Are people not allowed to get better?
I know plenty of people in the 12 step program . I consider alcoholism a disease and a fucking terrible one. Anyone who knows someone who has been through it, or has been through it themselves knows it is a nonstop battle. Hunter Biden got sober and the inner strength that shows is admirable .
I just don’t see the point in trashing him .
There were parts of this book that reminded me of all that’s wrong with America.
Then there was the fact I felt hardly anything was new in the book. Joe Biden has a stiff gait. No shit Sherlock. I’m sorry! I really am to be rather crass here , but it’s true.
Now I want to make it clear. The book is not a soliloquy to Trump, a love letter to him. Nothing like that at all.
However, there is one point in the book, where they talk about former President Biden, making a remark that he said, came from a John Wayne film, and then the authors of this book chide Biden it seems, for saying that, offering up the fact that it does not come from any John Wayne movie and implying, at least in my mind, implying, that he did it on purpose.
That is ridiculous.
They also got into the George Clooney letter. I’m sorry but who cares? The whole Country already knew about that.
When the American people go to sleep at night, I doubt most are thinking about George Clooney – sorry, Mr. Clooney
They’re thinking about things like how they’re going to pay their fucking medical bills, because we have a lunatic in Office and a Congress to chicken to stand up to him.
I don’t say that as a Democrat. I say that as human being.
I will close with this. There is one more thing about the book that I didn’t like, and this one was a shocker to me, because it is the one thing I didn’t expect.
It’s the fact that the book is undeniably and unquestionably boring
it’s like staring at peeling paint.
It’s like going to see that really hot action movie. The movie had been hyped up for months, and so you run to the movie theatre!
You run as fast as can be, with your friends on opening night, so enthusiastic and bubbly and you can’t wait to see it. So you’ve seen the previews, and it looks so bright and colorful, and you’re prepared to be dazzled, and then, and then –
You fall asleep in the middle of the theater.
I close with this. I thank President Biden.
I thank him for serving as a damn good president.
I thank him for bringing humility and humanity back to the White House in 2020.
I think him for his warmth and his empathy and his kindness not to mention his wisdom.
Joe Biden is the winner in the end, even though might not feel like it.
Why? Because Biden has a unique
gift, a secret ingredient that not many in politics have. It’s like sunlight, it dazzles. It’s something that Donald Trump, and many political pundits, could only dream about.
That golden gift is - a soul.
May 24, 2025
Disclaimer I am super annoyed by all the one star reviews of this book written by people who explicitly state that they did not bother to read it but just don’t like it because it’s mean to Joe Biden or something. It’s fair to hate the book but you should read it first. I’m not an American or a Democrat but I thought it might have something interesting to say so I listened to the audiobook. Onwards -
The usefulness of this book was as a mostly chronological play-by-play of the events surrounding Joe Biden’s ultimately disastrous decision to run again and his evident mental decline.
Things that I didn’t care for
- heavy reliance on anonymous sources/unnamed officials
- barely surface-level analysis on the part of the authors
I know Jake Tapper calls himself a journalist but if you would like to read some interesting investigative books I’d check out, like, Patrick Radden Keefe. This book is not a work of investigative journalism imo. It’s more like news-tainment. I think this book could have been interesting and insightful if the authors had probed
- the media’s role in not properly and credibly investigating the President’s cognitive decline
- the apparent systemic rot within both the Democratic Party and Biden’s inner circle
The usefulness of this book was as a mostly chronological play-by-play of the events surrounding Joe Biden’s ultimately disastrous decision to run again and his evident mental decline.
Things that I didn’t care for
- heavy reliance on anonymous sources/unnamed officials
- barely surface-level analysis on the part of the authors
I know Jake Tapper calls himself a journalist but if you would like to read some interesting investigative books I’d check out, like, Patrick Radden Keefe. This book is not a work of investigative journalism imo. It’s more like news-tainment. I think this book could have been interesting and insightful if the authors had probed
- the media’s role in not properly and credibly investigating the President’s cognitive decline
- the apparent systemic rot within both the Democratic Party and Biden’s inner circle
August 17, 2025
Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson provide an insider's account of Joe Biden's cognitive decline, its denial, and its cover-up. With testimony from senior Democrats and people working closely with the president, the authors examine how Biden's inner circle—his family and senior aides—managed access to the president and shaped public perception. However, Tapper and Thompson do not reveal any new themes that an average reader of American politics would not already know. Moreover, they gloss over how the mainstream left-wing media ignored Biden's condition until the debate. This book should have been released two years ago, not now.
Joe Biden's cognitive and physical and decline was was obvious. He was blatantly unfit to be president, let alone to run for re-election. Alas, he did—that is, until his disastrous electoral debate with Donald Trump a year ago. The obvious was laid bare. His candidacy was no longer tenable. However, he did not immediately step aside, instead holding on long enough to ensure Kamala Harris (whose polling was worse than Biden's) secured the Democratic nomination without a primary. Harris lost the election to Donald Trump, and Joe Biden is likely to die before the next presidential election.
First ladies have historically wielded influence during their husbands' health crises—Edith Wilson effectively took over for Woodrow Wilson after his stroke, and Eleanor Roosevelt helped shape public perceptions of Franklin Roosevelt's paralysis. While these actions are arguably justifiable, Jill Biden's were not. Her decisions, along with the broader actions of the Biden circle, contributed to the re-election of Donald Trump. Because of this, it may be reasonable to argue that she is one of the worst First Ladies in American history. At least Melania Trump, lacking personal dignity, stays out of American politics.
But the greatest disgrace belongs to Joe Biden himself. He became the embodiment of everything wrong with the Democratic Party. They are old, sclerotic, and out of touch. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi remain their most powerful politicians, both of whom are octogenarians. The party manipulated the 2016 presidential campaign to ensure Hillary Clinton won the nomination, coalesced around Biden in 2020 following a backroom deal, nominated Biden in 2024 despite his decline, and ensured only Kamala Harris could succeed him after he dropped out. Democracy is under threat from MAGA, yet these actions have enabled it.
It is interesting to observe America's gerontocracy from afar. In Australia, the public generally supports political renewal and relatively young leadership. Although not mandatory, the age of recent prime ministers reflects this political culture. Anthony Albanese became Prime Minister at 59; Scott Morrison at 51; Malcolm Turnbull at 60; Tony Abbott at 56; Julia Gillard at 48, and so on. Even our High Court justices are constitutionally required to retire at 70. Is this ageist? Perhaps. Some older individuals thrive in high office. However, this is the minority. Somewhat arbitrary lines are drawn for utilitarian benefits to support the ideal that those leading the country are mentally fit.
Thanks for reading Callum’s Column! Subscribe for free (only your email is required) for new book reviews and political analyses on Australia and the United States: https://callumscolumn.substack.com/
Joe Biden's cognitive and physical and decline was was obvious. He was blatantly unfit to be president, let alone to run for re-election. Alas, he did—that is, until his disastrous electoral debate with Donald Trump a year ago. The obvious was laid bare. His candidacy was no longer tenable. However, he did not immediately step aside, instead holding on long enough to ensure Kamala Harris (whose polling was worse than Biden's) secured the Democratic nomination without a primary. Harris lost the election to Donald Trump, and Joe Biden is likely to die before the next presidential election.
First ladies have historically wielded influence during their husbands' health crises—Edith Wilson effectively took over for Woodrow Wilson after his stroke, and Eleanor Roosevelt helped shape public perceptions of Franklin Roosevelt's paralysis. While these actions are arguably justifiable, Jill Biden's were not. Her decisions, along with the broader actions of the Biden circle, contributed to the re-election of Donald Trump. Because of this, it may be reasonable to argue that she is one of the worst First Ladies in American history. At least Melania Trump, lacking personal dignity, stays out of American politics.
But the greatest disgrace belongs to Joe Biden himself. He became the embodiment of everything wrong with the Democratic Party. They are old, sclerotic, and out of touch. Chuck Schumer and Nancy Pelosi remain their most powerful politicians, both of whom are octogenarians. The party manipulated the 2016 presidential campaign to ensure Hillary Clinton won the nomination, coalesced around Biden in 2020 following a backroom deal, nominated Biden in 2024 despite his decline, and ensured only Kamala Harris could succeed him after he dropped out. Democracy is under threat from MAGA, yet these actions have enabled it.
It is interesting to observe America's gerontocracy from afar. In Australia, the public generally supports political renewal and relatively young leadership. Although not mandatory, the age of recent prime ministers reflects this political culture. Anthony Albanese became Prime Minister at 59; Scott Morrison at 51; Malcolm Turnbull at 60; Tony Abbott at 56; Julia Gillard at 48, and so on. Even our High Court justices are constitutionally required to retire at 70. Is this ageist? Perhaps. Some older individuals thrive in high office. However, this is the minority. Somewhat arbitrary lines are drawn for utilitarian benefits to support the ideal that those leading the country are mentally fit.
Thanks for reading Callum’s Column! Subscribe for free (only your email is required) for new book reviews and political analyses on Australia and the United States: https://callumscolumn.substack.com/
July 22, 2025
3.5 stars
After being bombarded with news of this book every day, I had to see for myself what the hype was about. To be frank, I would take a comatose Biden over what we have now, so I am obviously biased and very distressed by the current state of the country. That being so, I cannot deny that Tapper and Thompson make compelling points, even a democrat like myself (or maybe especially one) cannot simply dismiss. It is quickly evident, through ample sources and evidence that Biden was not up to running for a second term. Yet I will say, the focal point of the book, to me, is not an attack of Biden, but rather that of his closest confidantes, who seemed to use the ailing president as a sort of pawn in their plans. I do not understand how Jill Biden could see her husband so frail and still push for him to put himself through the trials of a campaign and four more years in probably the most stressful job in the world. Not all democrats were on board with this game and many did try to counter the Biden team, to insist he could not run again, and push for a primary, but shockingly, they were dismissed until it was almost too late. I feel for Biden, who has undeniably given his life to public service and I am grateful for the four years he was president, but like much of the public, I took it to be a given that he would be a one term president, fostering and supporting a younger candidate to step into his footsteps. I was happy to vote for Kamala Harris, proud to think of another chance to have a woman at the helm of this country. Sadly, all of these revelations, valid though they are, do nothing to change the current course we are on. 2028 is a while away, and though I have hopes for the midterms next year, I fear the damage that will be caused in the time between. Original Sin is a worthwhile read, though not a satisfying one.
After being bombarded with news of this book every day, I had to see for myself what the hype was about. To be frank, I would take a comatose Biden over what we have now, so I am obviously biased and very distressed by the current state of the country. That being so, I cannot deny that Tapper and Thompson make compelling points, even a democrat like myself (or maybe especially one) cannot simply dismiss. It is quickly evident, through ample sources and evidence that Biden was not up to running for a second term. Yet I will say, the focal point of the book, to me, is not an attack of Biden, but rather that of his closest confidantes, who seemed to use the ailing president as a sort of pawn in their plans. I do not understand how Jill Biden could see her husband so frail and still push for him to put himself through the trials of a campaign and four more years in probably the most stressful job in the world. Not all democrats were on board with this game and many did try to counter the Biden team, to insist he could not run again, and push for a primary, but shockingly, they were dismissed until it was almost too late. I feel for Biden, who has undeniably given his life to public service and I am grateful for the four years he was president, but like much of the public, I took it to be a given that he would be a one term president, fostering and supporting a younger candidate to step into his footsteps. I was happy to vote for Kamala Harris, proud to think of another chance to have a woman at the helm of this country. Sadly, all of these revelations, valid though they are, do nothing to change the current course we are on. 2028 is a while away, and though I have hopes for the midterms next year, I fear the damage that will be caused in the time between. Original Sin is a worthwhile read, though not a satisfying one.
May 22, 2025
Sleaze.
Tapper is guilty of journalistic malpractice and he is just as guilty of the failed coverup as his dirty cronies. And when the dust settles, and everyone stops having this corrupt liar on their shows promoting his stupid book, Tapper’s reputation and credibility will be right along side Biden’s and ‘Dr.’ Jill’s. And the half-witted, junkie son’s. And no one will want to hear from him ever again.
Disgusting what journalism has turned into.
Tapper is guilty of journalistic malpractice and he is just as guilty of the failed coverup as his dirty cronies. And when the dust settles, and everyone stops having this corrupt liar on their shows promoting his stupid book, Tapper’s reputation and credibility will be right along side Biden’s and ‘Dr.’ Jill’s. And the half-witted, junkie son’s. And no one will want to hear from him ever again.
Disgusting what journalism has turned into.
May 24, 2025
There is no way to fully avoid politics when it comes to this book. I feel it is important I confess my own personal feelings while reviewing this book. The best way to do that is to quote W.C. Fields: "I am free of all prejudice. I hate everyone equally." Great, now we are all on the same page. Let's review this thing.
I tried to approach Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson with an eye for different viewpoints. How would I feel as a die hard Republican or a Democrat? What about an independent? Some things can be divorced from that. Tapper and Thompson can write well. This was a highly-polished and easy read from a prose perspective. The organization of the book is spotty at first. It felt like the authors had a lot of content that they wanted to get into the book. It leads to the first half feeling informative but badly organized and repetitive at times. The second half gets much more focused when Biden's re-election bid goes off the rails. There are a few names who go on the record, but many, as you would expect, would not put their names to their comments. That said, the stories line up with many things anyone watching the news would see. There are a few new bombshells, but just barely enough to have enough content for the book. As for journalistic integrity, I know people think this is a disgusting money grab that should have been reported earlier. I'll get back to that, but while you can call the authors many things, I don't believe liar is one of them.
As for the content, I felt there was enough in here to tick off both sides. Yes, this is focused on the groupthink of the Biden administration and it heavily details those missteps. However, this is hardly a pro-Trump book. In fact, the authors assume Trump being a boorish liar as a fait accompli. There is no examination of Trump because the authors consider that case closed.
As for the left, this is not an indictment of the Democratic party as a whole. It is, however, a strong rebuke of the pols around Biden in his very small trusted circle. Specific people are painted as sycophants who wouldn't tell Biden the truth and kept everyone else at arms length. Dem politicians are presented as well meaning but uninformed and erratic. Perhaps the only people who come out of this mostly unscathed are the Obamas.
I have two main criticisms of the book besides the haphazard first half. First, the authors never examine the media's part in all of this other than a few throwaway lines. Specifically for Tapper, this is egregious. Authors are allowed to cover what they want and how they want. Yes, technically speaking, the media coverage doesn't need to be part of the narrative. Tapper does appear in the story, but not as a main character or someone who has their motives questioned. However, the reality is that Tapper needed to at least acknowledge his coverage and examine what that means for this story even if just just did so in the prologue or an epilogue.
My other criticism is that the roles played by Jill and Hunter Biden are maddeningly unclear. The authors have a few short, throwaway comments about what people felt about their machinations. While the investigation of Biden's advisors is somewhat comprehensive, the two people closest to Biden are left vague.
Let's be honest, there are people who will never spend a dime on this book for various reasons. For those folks, you will probably be able to read the biggest bombshells in the news. If you are looking for a full take-down of the Democratic party or Biden himself, you will probably be disappointed as well. This book is mostly for people who want to read about the drama (yup, I am part of that group). Those people will feel mostly satisfied, but I also think those people will think there is another book to be written about this episode in political history. We might still be too close to see the forest for the trees.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Penguin Press.)
I tried to approach Original Sin by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson with an eye for different viewpoints. How would I feel as a die hard Republican or a Democrat? What about an independent? Some things can be divorced from that. Tapper and Thompson can write well. This was a highly-polished and easy read from a prose perspective. The organization of the book is spotty at first. It felt like the authors had a lot of content that they wanted to get into the book. It leads to the first half feeling informative but badly organized and repetitive at times. The second half gets much more focused when Biden's re-election bid goes off the rails. There are a few names who go on the record, but many, as you would expect, would not put their names to their comments. That said, the stories line up with many things anyone watching the news would see. There are a few new bombshells, but just barely enough to have enough content for the book. As for journalistic integrity, I know people think this is a disgusting money grab that should have been reported earlier. I'll get back to that, but while you can call the authors many things, I don't believe liar is one of them.
As for the content, I felt there was enough in here to tick off both sides. Yes, this is focused on the groupthink of the Biden administration and it heavily details those missteps. However, this is hardly a pro-Trump book. In fact, the authors assume Trump being a boorish liar as a fait accompli. There is no examination of Trump because the authors consider that case closed.
As for the left, this is not an indictment of the Democratic party as a whole. It is, however, a strong rebuke of the pols around Biden in his very small trusted circle. Specific people are painted as sycophants who wouldn't tell Biden the truth and kept everyone else at arms length. Dem politicians are presented as well meaning but uninformed and erratic. Perhaps the only people who come out of this mostly unscathed are the Obamas.
I have two main criticisms of the book besides the haphazard first half. First, the authors never examine the media's part in all of this other than a few throwaway lines. Specifically for Tapper, this is egregious. Authors are allowed to cover what they want and how they want. Yes, technically speaking, the media coverage doesn't need to be part of the narrative. Tapper does appear in the story, but not as a main character or someone who has their motives questioned. However, the reality is that Tapper needed to at least acknowledge his coverage and examine what that means for this story even if just just did so in the prologue or an epilogue.
My other criticism is that the roles played by Jill and Hunter Biden are maddeningly unclear. The authors have a few short, throwaway comments about what people felt about their machinations. While the investigation of Biden's advisors is somewhat comprehensive, the two people closest to Biden are left vague.
Let's be honest, there are people who will never spend a dime on this book for various reasons. For those folks, you will probably be able to read the biggest bombshells in the news. If you are looking for a full take-down of the Democratic party or Biden himself, you will probably be disappointed as well. This book is mostly for people who want to read about the drama (yup, I am part of that group). Those people will feel mostly satisfied, but I also think those people will think there is another book to be written about this episode in political history. We might still be too close to see the forest for the trees.
(This book was provided as a review copy by Penguin Press.)
May 21, 2025
“In Greek tragedy, the protagonist’s effort to avoid his fate is what seals his fate- in 2024, American politics became a Greek tragedy.”
I’m a moderate/independent but regardless of where you find yourself on the political spectrum, I think this is an important read. The outcome of the 2024 election should’ve been a galvanizing moment for the democrats but instead of regrouping and uniting, the party has splintered and completely lacks any sort of introspection or accountability. If you’re a democrat/liberal boycotting this book because you think it’s ageist and inflammatory, I’d urge you to reconsider and read it. As George Orwell once wrote, to see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle. Holding your own party members accountable is important, and that’s what this book does.
I’m a moderate/independent but regardless of where you find yourself on the political spectrum, I think this is an important read. The outcome of the 2024 election should’ve been a galvanizing moment for the democrats but instead of regrouping and uniting, the party has splintered and completely lacks any sort of introspection or accountability. If you’re a democrat/liberal boycotting this book because you think it’s ageist and inflammatory, I’d urge you to reconsider and read it. As George Orwell once wrote, to see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle. Holding your own party members accountable is important, and that’s what this book does.
June 20, 2025
Jon Stewart was of course right when he ridiculed Tapper for his shameless and awkward book promo on, get this, his news show (!!) on CNN (watch here), but it's also true that having Biden, no doubt a man of moral conviction and great accomplishments, run again was downright irresponsible. Which raises the question how a huge political apparatus like the Democratic party can watch the selection process fail and the campaign derail over such an extended period of time: Why did no one protect Biden and the interest of the party, which, let's be real, happened to be the same thing, even if Biden might not have been able to realize it at the time?
Is the whole process of how we select leaders and what criteria reign supreme broken? I believe so, but failing aides and systemic misfirings are minor concerns of the authors of the book: They rather enumerate instance after instance of Biden struggling with his feeble health and old age in public and more private settings. And sure, it's important to record these examples, but it's not enough if you want to illuminate how the debacle came about. And the conclusion of the book is particularly infuriating: Added like a short afterthought, the authors say that physical exams should be mandatory for Presidential candidates. As if it wouldn't be super easy to get some shameless douche to testify whatever a powerful man wants him to, and then good luck proving that at the time, his testimony was intentionally false.
No, the problem is that it takes a certain kind of person to rise to the top in a party, and we all, as consumers of media spectacles, bear part of the responsibility. To find protection from the mud throwing at the top, they tend to surround themselves with yes men with personal interest in the big guy's political destiny - and there you go, a verifiable shit show in the making. The dynamics that unfold here are the problem, not that some guy is not required to inform the public what some doctor on the party's payroll has said.
I'm not at all a Tapper hater, but this isn't good journalism, and he himself must know better than this silly conclusion that pretends that there's a simple solution.
Is the whole process of how we select leaders and what criteria reign supreme broken? I believe so, but failing aides and systemic misfirings are minor concerns of the authors of the book: They rather enumerate instance after instance of Biden struggling with his feeble health and old age in public and more private settings. And sure, it's important to record these examples, but it's not enough if you want to illuminate how the debacle came about. And the conclusion of the book is particularly infuriating: Added like a short afterthought, the authors say that physical exams should be mandatory for Presidential candidates. As if it wouldn't be super easy to get some shameless douche to testify whatever a powerful man wants him to, and then good luck proving that at the time, his testimony was intentionally false.
No, the problem is that it takes a certain kind of person to rise to the top in a party, and we all, as consumers of media spectacles, bear part of the responsibility. To find protection from the mud throwing at the top, they tend to surround themselves with yes men with personal interest in the big guy's political destiny - and there you go, a verifiable shit show in the making. The dynamics that unfold here are the problem, not that some guy is not required to inform the public what some doctor on the party's payroll has said.
I'm not at all a Tapper hater, but this isn't good journalism, and he himself must know better than this silly conclusion that pretends that there's a simple solution.
May 20, 2025
I decided to read Original Sin, expecting rigorous political journalism — what I got instead was a somewhat compelling but clinically hollow narrative dressed up to look like investigative truth.
This book argues that Joe Biden is cognitively unfit to serve a second term, and that those around him conspired to hide that fact. It makes for juicy reading. The problem? It builds this case without a single piece of actual clinical evidence.
As someone studying neuroscience and clinical neuropsychology, I found the book deeply frustrating. Tapper and Thompson — who are excellent journalists in their own right — string together anonymous quotes, vague observations about Biden’s energy levels and gait, and emotionally loaded comparisons to aging parents — and present them as implicit proof of cognitive decline. But cognitive decline isn’t diagnosed by metaphor. It’s diagnosed through standardized testing, neurological assessment, and medical expertise. None of that is in this book.
In fact, the only formal medical evaluation Original Sin mentions — a comprehensive neurological exam by Biden’s physician — found no signs of Parkinson’s, ALS, or stroke. The authors try to turn the absence of cognitive testing (like a MoCA) into evidence of a cover-up, but that falls flat too. Most pathological cognitive impairments have neurological correlates. If something were truly wrong, it likely would’ve shown up.
The book also does something subtle but damaging: it conflates Biden’s well-documented lifelong stutter with mental confusion. Anyone familiar with neurodivergence knows that speech differences aren’t signs of dementia — they’re signs of difference. And difference under stress or age doesn’t mean decline.
I’m not here to argue for or against Biden’s decision to run for re-election. I just think that if a book is going to claim a president is mentally unfit to serve, it owes the public more than vibes and whispers. It owes them science. Instead, Original Sin offers a speculative narrative that mistakes age, disability, and nuance for dysfunction.
Should we ask questions about aging and leadership? Absolutely. But let’s ask them with evidence, not innuendo.
📚 Verdict: Well-written, but lacking in clinical integrity. Belongs on the tabloid shelf — not filed under investigative journalism. 2 stars :/
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 22, 2025
The book is unnecessary, opportunistic, and exploitative. It could have been a news story or two and made the same point with less sensationalism. The authors make a clear enough case for what is already largely known, then repeat themselves over and over.
How is the public dialogue and political process better served by framing this as a wow factor in exposing a cover up? The facts are the facts. This book seeks to cash in on a very difficult moment in American history. If we hope to save journalism from hyperbole, this book is a step backward.
How is the public dialogue and political process better served by framing this as a wow factor in exposing a cover up? The facts are the facts. This book seeks to cash in on a very difficult moment in American history. If we hope to save journalism from hyperbole, this book is a step backward.
May 22, 2025
This book is just so lazy.
Did you guys know Joe Biden is old?
Did you know it probably wasn’t a good idea for him to run for re-election?
Did you know those who benefitted from his power tried really hard to insulate him from criticism and calls to withdraw?
Then you know all this book will tell you and can save your time.
At least do something interesting. Interview medical professionals or experts in cognitive decline. Talk to political psychologists about the struggle to give up power by lifelong politicians.
At its best, this book is a summary of already well-trodden terrain. At its worst, it’s political gossip that piles on a dude who already lost while the candidate who beat him is actively driving us off a cliff.
Did you guys know Joe Biden is old?
Did you know it probably wasn’t a good idea for him to run for re-election?
Did you know those who benefitted from his power tried really hard to insulate him from criticism and calls to withdraw?
Then you know all this book will tell you and can save your time.
At least do something interesting. Interview medical professionals or experts in cognitive decline. Talk to political psychologists about the struggle to give up power by lifelong politicians.
At its best, this book is a summary of already well-trodden terrain. At its worst, it’s political gossip that piles on a dude who already lost while the candidate who beat him is actively driving us off a cliff.
May 22, 2025
No particular insights or revelations here, bit of a waste of time. Already had a low opinion of Jake Tapper, this only confirmed that. Glad I got it off Z-Library instead of spending £20.
May 23, 2025
”This isn’t hindsight. Everyone saw it happening.”
”The original sin of of Election 2024 was Biden’s decision to run for reelection, followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.”
”Biden had framed his entire presidency as a pitched battle to prevent Trump from returning to the Oval Office. By not relinquishing power and being honest with himself and the country about his decline he guaranteed it.”
Back in 2023 I began a campaign to stir up those around me to demand a better Democratic candidate for president. It was blindingly obvious, even without any behind the scenes access, that Biden’s abilities were suffering from the normal decline you would expect from an 80 year old. What was even more obvious was that, outside of true believers hiding their collective heads in the sand, few voters would have confidence in a candidate who would be 86 by the end of the term he was running for. This at a time when the country was facing the existential threat that was Trump’s candidacy. So I talked about it extensively with friends. I plastered it on my social media. The response? Almost everyone told me to shut up and sit down. Told me that by talking like that would split the party and give Trump the election. Told me I was the bad guy for recognizing and trying to address the problem.
Jump forward to Biden’s 2024 presidential debate. Suddenly, the issue I had been screaming about couldn’t be ignored any longer. But by then it was far too late.
”What the world saw at his one and only 2024 debate was not an anomaly. It was not a cold. It was not someone who was underprepared or over-prepared. It was not someone who was just a little tired. It was the natural result of an 81 year old man whose capabilities had been diminishing for years.”
This book serves as a first draft of history to chronicle the hubris and deceit that led to the fateful decision for Biden to ditch his pledge to be “a bridge,” a one term president who would step aside to allow younger and stronger candidates to take up the baton, and instead decide that he and only he could defeat Trump. It examines the complicity of his staff and his family. It deals with why other politicians and donors who saw Biden’s alarming decline remained silent. It gives a blow by blow account of how the disaster of a Trump presidency flowed from these fateful actions.
Original Sin is far from a perfect book. Its worst flaw is its lack of on the record quotes, relying almost completely on anonymous source. And as many of the angry, negative reviews point out, much of what it tells us we already knew. That, however, is part of why a book like this is needed. We knew that Biden was well along into cognitive decline. We knew that an 82 year old man shouldn’t be standing to serve a four year term as president. Yet, most of the Democratic Party stood frozen into inaction far too long despite this knowledge. That was bloody insane. And it needs to be called out, examined, and corrected if the Democrats ever hope to be a viable party again.
”The White House responded to any question about Biden’s age by pointing to Trump’s wild and seemingly unhinged behavior on the campaign trail. But Trump’s limitations didn’t mean that Biden’s deserved less scrutiny. Biden was the sitting president, and he was struggling to not only keep a robust schedule, but also articulate his thoughts in public and private.”
I have more personal evidence of why it is necessary to own up to this humongous blunder. Those friends who told me to shut up? They are still in denial, furious at this book and its author. Saying that we should only be concentrating on the very real and existential threat posed by the Trump regime. Yet, if we don’t face and learn from our own mistakes that are responsible for allowing that regime to exists, what in the bloody hell has changed?
”The original sin of of Election 2024 was Biden’s decision to run for reelection, followed by aggressive efforts to hide his cognitive diminishment.”
”Biden had framed his entire presidency as a pitched battle to prevent Trump from returning to the Oval Office. By not relinquishing power and being honest with himself and the country about his decline he guaranteed it.”
Back in 2023 I began a campaign to stir up those around me to demand a better Democratic candidate for president. It was blindingly obvious, even without any behind the scenes access, that Biden’s abilities were suffering from the normal decline you would expect from an 80 year old. What was even more obvious was that, outside of true believers hiding their collective heads in the sand, few voters would have confidence in a candidate who would be 86 by the end of the term he was running for. This at a time when the country was facing the existential threat that was Trump’s candidacy. So I talked about it extensively with friends. I plastered it on my social media. The response? Almost everyone told me to shut up and sit down. Told me that by talking like that would split the party and give Trump the election. Told me I was the bad guy for recognizing and trying to address the problem.
Jump forward to Biden’s 2024 presidential debate. Suddenly, the issue I had been screaming about couldn’t be ignored any longer. But by then it was far too late.
”What the world saw at his one and only 2024 debate was not an anomaly. It was not a cold. It was not someone who was underprepared or over-prepared. It was not someone who was just a little tired. It was the natural result of an 81 year old man whose capabilities had been diminishing for years.”
This book serves as a first draft of history to chronicle the hubris and deceit that led to the fateful decision for Biden to ditch his pledge to be “a bridge,” a one term president who would step aside to allow younger and stronger candidates to take up the baton, and instead decide that he and only he could defeat Trump. It examines the complicity of his staff and his family. It deals with why other politicians and donors who saw Biden’s alarming decline remained silent. It gives a blow by blow account of how the disaster of a Trump presidency flowed from these fateful actions.
Original Sin is far from a perfect book. Its worst flaw is its lack of on the record quotes, relying almost completely on anonymous source. And as many of the angry, negative reviews point out, much of what it tells us we already knew. That, however, is part of why a book like this is needed. We knew that Biden was well along into cognitive decline. We knew that an 82 year old man shouldn’t be standing to serve a four year term as president. Yet, most of the Democratic Party stood frozen into inaction far too long despite this knowledge. That was bloody insane. And it needs to be called out, examined, and corrected if the Democrats ever hope to be a viable party again.
”The White House responded to any question about Biden’s age by pointing to Trump’s wild and seemingly unhinged behavior on the campaign trail. But Trump’s limitations didn’t mean that Biden’s deserved less scrutiny. Biden was the sitting president, and he was struggling to not only keep a robust schedule, but also articulate his thoughts in public and private.”
I have more personal evidence of why it is necessary to own up to this humongous blunder. Those friends who told me to shut up? They are still in denial, furious at this book and its author. Saying that we should only be concentrating on the very real and existential threat posed by the Trump regime. Yet, if we don’t face and learn from our own mistakes that are responsible for allowing that regime to exists, what in the bloody hell has changed?
May 22, 2025
This is why mainstream media can't be trusted. Instead of providing timely, reliable information, they save it to sell their books at a later date. The current guy in the White House is not only incompetent, he's corrupt and destroying our constitutional rights. That should be the focus now.
May 22, 2025
Hmmm. Anonymous sources. Tons of CNN footage contradicting many of the authors’ assertions. Tapper admitting he wasn’t liked by the Biden administration. Tapper not invited to small press events by Biden. Tapper told to F off by Hunter when he wanted to write about Beau’s death. Tapper writing this book while he moderated the debate between Biden and Trump. The one where he did zero fact checking on Trump’s myriad lies. Tapper asserting in 2024 that Biden was entirely fit to be president, on air. Tapper not reporting on any of this when it could have made a difference.
Hmmm. Seems like an anonymously sourced, petulant, vengeful hit piece to me that should be filed in the fiction section. And found only in the remainder bin.
Oh, the big spoiler? According to Tapper (through anonymous sources) aides thought Biden may have needed a wheel chair but didn’t want to get him one for appearances. HE STILL ISN’T IN ONE TODAY.
Tapper isn’t a journalist. He’s the Tucker Carlson of Alex Joneses. I give this zero stars if possible.
Hmmm. Seems like an anonymously sourced, petulant, vengeful hit piece to me that should be filed in the fiction section. And found only in the remainder bin.
Oh, the big spoiler? According to Tapper (through anonymous sources) aides thought Biden may have needed a wheel chair but didn’t want to get him one for appearances. HE STILL ISN’T IN ONE TODAY.
Tapper isn’t a journalist. He’s the Tucker Carlson of Alex Joneses. I give this zero stars if possible.
May 23, 2025
What a disgrace to American journalism Jake Tapper is!
May 22, 2025
Reporters that did not report the information, if accurate cannot be taken seriously. Is this read fact or fiction?
May 21, 2025
Absolutely disgusting to do this.
August 22, 2025
This is the first book I read by this author. This book was a gift that came into my hands, so I thought to give it a try. This book is an interesting 19 chapters about the democratic presidential campaign in 2023-2024. From two of America’s most respected journalists, Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, this publication is about President Joe Biden’s run for reelection despite evidence of his serious decline—amid efforts to hide the extent of that deterioration. The index starts on page 221. I am glad I did not pay for this book. Time to donate and pass it on.
May 21, 2025
It was all that I dreamed it would be. The Democrats got so destroyed in the election that we deserve to know how it happened, and it answers those questions up to Biden stepping down as a frontrunner and shows how little faith they had that Harris could win at all, much less with a late start. They owe us this.
June 12, 2025
Biden is not responsible for the debacle of the last election. Neither is Harris. Yes, Biden committed the sin of growing old. Yes, the people around him compensated for his decline and hid its extent from the public. It is very hard to tell someone they need to accept creeping limitations. Ask anyone who has aging parents. Similar cover ups have occurred in previous presidencies. And they are occurring at this moment. The people who voted for Trump, who refuse to see his insanity, stupidity, ignorance, meanness, dementia and physical deterioration, are the ones to blame for the destruction of the country. I’m sure they are enjoying the spread of hatred and cruelty - at least until it hits their wallets.
The authors of this book and their ilk were part of the Biden coverup. And today, they still refuse to report on the obvious mental and physical deterioration of Trump. If they refuse to learn from their mistakes, I see no point in rehashing the failures of the prior administration.I don’t think we needed this book. Do your jobs.
The authors of this book and their ilk were part of the Biden coverup. And today, they still refuse to report on the obvious mental and physical deterioration of Trump. If they refuse to learn from their mistakes, I see no point in rehashing the failures of the prior administration.I don’t think we needed this book. Do your jobs.
July 2, 2025
This book was a simple retelling of the events of 2023-2024 related to Biden’s aging and the White House’s efforts to mitigate the associated political damage. Few trains of thought here, so I will just list them rather than trying to put them together coherently:
1. The abuse of power by both sides of the political spectrum is terrifying. I lament the fact that my trust in institutions and experts has never been lower because of the number of times I have been told not to believe my eyes. Reading about the inner-workings and behind the scenes conversations that went into a failed attempt at hiding the truth from the public is horrifying, as is knowing what many people knew who chose to publicly state the opposite.
2. A glimmer of hope in this disenchantment is the fact that Tapper and Thompson, two democrats, wrote this book. Hindsight is 20/20 and many Republicans don’t want to let them off the hook today for the part they played yesterday, but I don’t feel that way. Tribalism is endemic to media nowadays, and I applaud these authors for defying that fact.
3. Speaking of tribalism, reading the 1-star reviews of this book remind me how something like this could happen and why it is necessary for people like Tapper to write books like this. All 3 1-star reviews I read were essentially “how could you write a book like this when Biden is good and Trump is bad”. When our political loyalties blind us from facts, we are being real idiots. The fact that we are all susceptible to that blinding is basically the theme of this book.
4. Speaking of Trump, another strength of this book is that it was NOT about Trump. My politics are confusing, even to me, but I am not afraid to say that I don’t love Trump the person, so I get pretty tired of him being the center of the political universe. I’ve read too many books in the last 5 years that seem interesting and then half way through turn into the author’s personal ravings about how mean and bad and Hitlerian Trump is, as if they have anything new to say. Tapper, no fan of Trump, avoids this pitfall, making the book much more readable.
5. Speaking of readability and the books actual quality, this book is quite well written. Its about 300 pages and I read it in maybe 8 sittings, which is a great indicator of its quality. You can kind of tell that it was cobbled together quickly and omits context at times, but that is the nature of trying to recount history just a year after it happened.
6. I wish I kept a list, but there are a small handful of politicians and insiders that acted honorably and honestly in this whole situation. If you read this book, maybe make this list for me. By and large, I am repulsed by the Democratic Party, but when I dig, I find people within it who have competence and character (fwiw, I would speak similarly of the Republican Party).
7. Speaking of the Democratic and Republican parties, for all the cynicism and frustration I am expressing in this review, I still think that the American political system has led to more prosperity and human flourishing in a society than almost any other in history. Books like this stir a healthy discontentment that should lead to self-reflection and change, but I caution the republican (or general populist) who reads this book and doubles down on a “this is why we need a new system” mindset. Tapper didn’t risk his life by writing this book and you aren’t risking yours by owning it, and historically speaking that is pretty special.
Every time a literate person picks up a book of political dissent, reads it in public, and then posts their thoughts for the world to see, they owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the ideas and institutions that they’re probably complaining about.
1. The abuse of power by both sides of the political spectrum is terrifying. I lament the fact that my trust in institutions and experts has never been lower because of the number of times I have been told not to believe my eyes. Reading about the inner-workings and behind the scenes conversations that went into a failed attempt at hiding the truth from the public is horrifying, as is knowing what many people knew who chose to publicly state the opposite.
2. A glimmer of hope in this disenchantment is the fact that Tapper and Thompson, two democrats, wrote this book. Hindsight is 20/20 and many Republicans don’t want to let them off the hook today for the part they played yesterday, but I don’t feel that way. Tribalism is endemic to media nowadays, and I applaud these authors for defying that fact.
3. Speaking of tribalism, reading the 1-star reviews of this book remind me how something like this could happen and why it is necessary for people like Tapper to write books like this. All 3 1-star reviews I read were essentially “how could you write a book like this when Biden is good and Trump is bad”. When our political loyalties blind us from facts, we are being real idiots. The fact that we are all susceptible to that blinding is basically the theme of this book.
4. Speaking of Trump, another strength of this book is that it was NOT about Trump. My politics are confusing, even to me, but I am not afraid to say that I don’t love Trump the person, so I get pretty tired of him being the center of the political universe. I’ve read too many books in the last 5 years that seem interesting and then half way through turn into the author’s personal ravings about how mean and bad and Hitlerian Trump is, as if they have anything new to say. Tapper, no fan of Trump, avoids this pitfall, making the book much more readable.
5. Speaking of readability and the books actual quality, this book is quite well written. Its about 300 pages and I read it in maybe 8 sittings, which is a great indicator of its quality. You can kind of tell that it was cobbled together quickly and omits context at times, but that is the nature of trying to recount history just a year after it happened.
6. I wish I kept a list, but there are a small handful of politicians and insiders that acted honorably and honestly in this whole situation. If you read this book, maybe make this list for me. By and large, I am repulsed by the Democratic Party, but when I dig, I find people within it who have competence and character (fwiw, I would speak similarly of the Republican Party).
7. Speaking of the Democratic and Republican parties, for all the cynicism and frustration I am expressing in this review, I still think that the American political system has led to more prosperity and human flourishing in a society than almost any other in history. Books like this stir a healthy discontentment that should lead to self-reflection and change, but I caution the republican (or general populist) who reads this book and doubles down on a “this is why we need a new system” mindset. Tapper didn’t risk his life by writing this book and you aren’t risking yours by owning it, and historically speaking that is pretty special.
Every time a literate person picks up a book of political dissent, reads it in public, and then posts their thoughts for the world to see, they owe an enormous debt of gratitude to the ideas and institutions that they’re probably complaining about.
June 12, 2025
"Oh what an evil web we weave when we first practice to deceive." Jake Tapper's book is filled with nothing but falsehoods; he knew as early as 2015 that Joe Biden was senile; and therefore, unfit to run for president.
Tapper's obsessive hatred for Donald Trump clouded his judgement that Tapper would remain silent on Biden's senility just to prevent Donald Trump winning the presidency in 2016.
Tapper's excuse for keeping Biden's senility a secret was that it did not level to the scandal of Watergate. Watergate was nothing but a third rate burglary that hapless Richard Nixon brought the coverup into the White House.
Even after that infamous debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in early 2024 did not convince Jake Tapper that Joe Biden was unfit. Tapper continued to carry Joe Biden's water.
Only history, now, will be the final judge of Jake Tapper's conspiracy to deceive the American public.
Tapper's obsessive hatred for Donald Trump clouded his judgement that Tapper would remain silent on Biden's senility just to prevent Donald Trump winning the presidency in 2016.
Tapper's excuse for keeping Biden's senility a secret was that it did not level to the scandal of Watergate. Watergate was nothing but a third rate burglary that hapless Richard Nixon brought the coverup into the White House.
Even after that infamous debate between Donald Trump and Joe Biden in early 2024 did not convince Jake Tapper that Joe Biden was unfit. Tapper continued to carry Joe Biden's water.
Only history, now, will be the final judge of Jake Tapper's conspiracy to deceive the American public.
May 23, 2025
Joe Biden is old, he should not have run for reelection, and his decision to do so had devastating consequences. In one sentence, I have summed up the totality of Jake Tapper's purportedly shocking accounting of the 2024 election.
For the majority of this book, I was waiting for something more concrete than what I just typed. Tapper opens the book as if he's Joe Friday, declaring he's sharing "just the facts." Yet every time we walk up to the line of a declaration, Tapper pivots, or he throatclears, or he admits he doesn't actually know what he just insinuated.
In the book's first 50 pages, Tapper declares in definitive terms that Biden forgetting names and telling meandering stories are clear signs of his decline. And then mere sentences later, he says Joe Biden has always forgotten names and has always told meandering stories, but now it was "worse".
In another section of the book, he recalls someone who said they think Biden has Parkinson's because he reminded this person of their grandfather, who had Parkinson's, and that medical diagnoses are essentially just pattern recognition.
At the end of the book, he rattles off a myriad of opinions from neurologists, all of whom admit they don't know what's actually going on with Joe Biden and that they're just speculating.
It all strikes me as self-aggrandizing rather than informative, which is underscored by the fact that this was hardly a "cover-up" as Tapper breathlessly insists in each chapter of this book. There were approximately twelve billion articles between 2020 and 2024 dissecting every aspect of Biden's age and health. SNL was making fun of his speech patterns on the regular. Shane Gillis compared him to a Roomba in his stand-up routine. If this was a cover-up, then I'm not sure who was deceived.
Making matters worse is that Tapper's grand statement in the final chapter can essentially be boiled down to "Presidents shouldn't lie", complete with some handwaving at Nixon and Watergate (because, of course).
I'm not a political journalist or a pundit, and honestly my perspective on the 2024 election is that it sucked from beginning to end and there was no moment during it that I felt like something good was going to happen. But even given that, something tells me, if you're going to write 350+ pages about this election, you should have a lot more to say than, "Joe Biden, the oldest President in history, was old."
For the majority of this book, I was waiting for something more concrete than what I just typed. Tapper opens the book as if he's Joe Friday, declaring he's sharing "just the facts." Yet every time we walk up to the line of a declaration, Tapper pivots, or he throatclears, or he admits he doesn't actually know what he just insinuated.
In the book's first 50 pages, Tapper declares in definitive terms that Biden forgetting names and telling meandering stories are clear signs of his decline. And then mere sentences later, he says Joe Biden has always forgotten names and has always told meandering stories, but now it was "worse".
In another section of the book, he recalls someone who said they think Biden has Parkinson's because he reminded this person of their grandfather, who had Parkinson's, and that medical diagnoses are essentially just pattern recognition.
At the end of the book, he rattles off a myriad of opinions from neurologists, all of whom admit they don't know what's actually going on with Joe Biden and that they're just speculating.
It all strikes me as self-aggrandizing rather than informative, which is underscored by the fact that this was hardly a "cover-up" as Tapper breathlessly insists in each chapter of this book. There were approximately twelve billion articles between 2020 and 2024 dissecting every aspect of Biden's age and health. SNL was making fun of his speech patterns on the regular. Shane Gillis compared him to a Roomba in his stand-up routine. If this was a cover-up, then I'm not sure who was deceived.
Making matters worse is that Tapper's grand statement in the final chapter can essentially be boiled down to "Presidents shouldn't lie", complete with some handwaving at Nixon and Watergate (because, of course).
I'm not a political journalist or a pundit, and honestly my perspective on the 2024 election is that it sucked from beginning to end and there was no moment during it that I felt like something good was going to happen. But even given that, something tells me, if you're going to write 350+ pages about this election, you should have a lot more to say than, "Joe Biden, the oldest President in history, was old."
May 25, 2025
Thank you to @prhaudio for the gifted ALC.
I found this book fascinating. There were a number of partial stories that I’ve heard over the years where Tapper gives the full story with deeper context that I found enlightening.
My takeaway on this book is it doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you sit on, we as the American public should be appalled at the coverup that was allowed in an effort hoodwink us regarding Biden to lead and his abilities or lack thereof.
We are given story after story of how unable Biden was to meet with others and his limitations on carrying conversations, answering questions (without notecards or teleprompters), or going up stairs to events. Tapper interviewed over 200 people to collect these stories to share a true behind the scenes case after case.
I hope that this book shines a light and allows for a discussion of the need for age limits on our politicians. It is known that our mental abilities decrease as we age. There’s nothing wrong with that, many of us will go through this, but it’s important that those who lead and make decisions for our country have the highest mental acuity during their presidential term.
One final thought that Tapper mentions but never answers-who WAS leading our country when Biden was clearly unable to?
Overall, I found this interesting and very readable to the average person.
I found this book fascinating. There were a number of partial stories that I’ve heard over the years where Tapper gives the full story with deeper context that I found enlightening.
My takeaway on this book is it doesn’t matter what side of the aisle you sit on, we as the American public should be appalled at the coverup that was allowed in an effort hoodwink us regarding Biden to lead and his abilities or lack thereof.
We are given story after story of how unable Biden was to meet with others and his limitations on carrying conversations, answering questions (without notecards or teleprompters), or going up stairs to events. Tapper interviewed over 200 people to collect these stories to share a true behind the scenes case after case.
I hope that this book shines a light and allows for a discussion of the need for age limits on our politicians. It is known that our mental abilities decrease as we age. There’s nothing wrong with that, many of us will go through this, but it’s important that those who lead and make decisions for our country have the highest mental acuity during their presidential term.
One final thought that Tapper mentions but never answers-who WAS leading our country when Biden was clearly unable to?
Overall, I found this interesting and very readable to the average person.
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