Topline<\/p>\n
Former President Joe Biden appeared exhausted and disconnected from reality during his 2024 campaign, but his inner circle was \u201cdelusional\u201d and genuinely believed he could win, according to a new book, among several in recent months with damning new allegations about the former president\u2019s mental state amid the collapse of his presidential campaign last year.<\/p>\n
Former U.S. President Joe Biden poses backstage on opening night of “Othello” on Broadway at The … More Barrymore Theatre on March 23, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Bruce Glikas\/WireImage)<\/p>\n
Bruce Glikas\/WireImage <\/p>\n
Key Facts<\/p>\n
Former CBS producer and author Chris Whipple\u2019s book, \u201cUncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,\u201d reportedly details<\/a> how top Biden adviser Ron Klain described Biden as \u201cfatigued, befuddled, and disengaged,\u201d in the lead-up to the debate, and said he ended one debate-prep session early and fell asleep by the pool.<\/p>\n Biden was so preoccupied with foreign policy, Klain said he \u201cwondered half-seriously if Biden thought he was president of NATO,\u201d Whipple wrote.<\/p>\n Biden \u201cdidn\u2019t look well\u201d and \u201cdidn\u2019t sound vital\u201d several days after the debate at a donor event, where he used a path of fluorescent tape on the floor to guide his steps and a teleprompter for what were supposed to be unscripted remarks, The Hill reporter and author Amie Parnes and NBC reporter Jonathan Allen wrote<\/a> in \u201cFight: Inside the Wildest Battle for the White House.\u201d<\/p>\n CNN\u2019s Jake Tapper, who moderated the Trump-Biden debate, and Axios\u2019 Alex Thompson, coauthored a third yet-to-be-released book, \u201cOriginal Sin: President Biden\u2019s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,\u201d in which they say, \u201cBiden, his family and his team let their self-interest and fear of another Trump term justify trying to put an at times addled old man in the Oval Office.\u201d<\/p>\n Whipple concluded that Biden\u2019s inner circle genuinely believed Biden was capable of serving another term, characterizing the mindset as \u201cdelusion and denial,\u201d rather than a cover-up\u2014similarly, Klain told the Guardian in response to Whipple\u2019s book that he \u201cnever doubted the president\u2019s mental acuity,\u201d but that Biden failed, or refused, to grasp what was required to be successful in the campaign.<\/p>\n Despite the confidence of Biden and his inner circle, Democratic National Committee officials were working on contingency plans for Biden\u2019s potential exit from the race as early as 2023 and aides to Kamala Harris even \u201cstrategized around the possibility that Biden might die in office,\u201d according to \u201cFight.\u201d<\/p>\n Tangent<\/p>\n Biden plans to write a book about his presidency and his decision to exit the race, multiple<\/a> outlets<\/a> reported in January.<\/p>\n Crucial Quote<\/p>\n \u201cI am convinced that Joe Biden\u2019s inner circle was convinced that Joe Biden was capable of governing, and they believed that he could do it for another four years,\u201d Whipple told NPR. People who visited Biden in the Oval Office said he was \u201con top of every nuance of Middle Eastern policy\u201d Whipple wrote in his book, concluding that, \u201cJoe Biden, behind closed doors, was governing capably,\u201d but he wasn\u2019t mentally or physically equipped to run a successful campaign.<\/p>\n Key Background<\/p>\n Biden, 82, publicly dismissed polls that showed voters did not want him to run for another term and insisted he could beat Trump since he had done it before, despite showing blatant signs of aging in both public and private that grew more frequent as the 2024 campaign season neared. Biden\u2019s political career effectively ended moments into his June 26 debate with Trump, when he lost his train of thought and continued his shaky performance throughout the 90-minute program. He announced his decision to step down on July 21, amid growing calls from Democrats in Congress to withdraw. Trump\u2019s decisive win over Harris, and Republicans\u2019 dominance in House and Senate races, left the Democratic party in tatters without a clear messaging strategy or prominent leaders. Many still blame Biden for the 2024 fiasco. Polls show<\/a> the party\u2019s popularity has dropped to record lows. Biden, however, has remained defiant that he could have beaten Trump, he told USA Today<\/a> in an interview published in January, though he seemed to acknowledge for the first time he might not have been healthy enough to serve another term. \u201cWho the hell knows?\u201d he said when asked the question.<\/p>\n Further Reading<\/p>\n Biden Admits He Might Be Too Old To Have Served Another Term<\/a> (Forbes)<\/p>\n