Original Sin
President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again
Published on 20. May 2025
Book
Hardback
352 pages
978-1-5291-5548-8 (ISBN)
Description
THE INSTANT SUNDAY TIMES AND #1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
The damning inside story of Joe Biden's decline while in office - and the desperate attempts of his inner circle to hide it from the American people.
'Explosive' Guardian
'Explosive' The Times
'Explosive' Daily Mail
'Explosive' Politico
'Explosive' New York Times
Joe Biden, his family and his senior aides were convinced that only he could beat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. So convinced, in fact, that that they embarked upon a remarkable campaign of denial and gaslighting against the American public - lying to themselves, allies, the media and voters about his true condition.
Only now is the full, unsettling truth coming to light. Here, two of America's best-respected political journalists take us behind closed doors to reveal the extent of Biden's decline and who knew about it, from White House staffers to senators to Hollywood celebrities. They paint President Biden's decision to run for re-election as shockingly narcissistic, delusional and reckless - and the wider cover-up as an act of unprecedented public deception.
The story the authors tell raises fundamental issues of accountability and responsibility that will endure for decades. In the name of defeating what they called an existential threat to democracy, Biden and his inner circle all but ensured it, denying the existence of health issues the nation had been watching for years. His decision to run again was the original sin of his presidency - the moment that led directly to Donald Trump's return to power and all that has come since.
'How American voters became victims of one of the great political cover-ups of modern times . . . It was the gaslighting of a nation.' The Times
'A damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, aging president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term.' New York Times
'The shocking truth of the last year of Biden's presidency . . . Original Sin presents a scathing account of an elderly, egotistical president cocooned from reality.' Guardian
'Original Sin's simple assessment of the 2024 race is more compelling than anything else I've read about it . . . Extensive reporting and clear-eyed prose.' Washington Post
The damning inside story of Joe Biden's decline while in office - and the desperate attempts of his inner circle to hide it from the American people.
'Explosive' Guardian
'Explosive' The Times
'Explosive' Daily Mail
'Explosive' Politico
'Explosive' New York Times
Joe Biden, his family and his senior aides were convinced that only he could beat Donald Trump in the 2024 presidential election. So convinced, in fact, that that they embarked upon a remarkable campaign of denial and gaslighting against the American public - lying to themselves, allies, the media and voters about his true condition.
Only now is the full, unsettling truth coming to light. Here, two of America's best-respected political journalists take us behind closed doors to reveal the extent of Biden's decline and who knew about it, from White House staffers to senators to Hollywood celebrities. They paint President Biden's decision to run for re-election as shockingly narcissistic, delusional and reckless - and the wider cover-up as an act of unprecedented public deception.
The story the authors tell raises fundamental issues of accountability and responsibility that will endure for decades. In the name of defeating what they called an existential threat to democracy, Biden and his inner circle all but ensured it, denying the existence of health issues the nation had been watching for years. His decision to run again was the original sin of his presidency - the moment that led directly to Donald Trump's return to power and all that has come since.
'How American voters became victims of one of the great political cover-ups of modern times . . . It was the gaslighting of a nation.' The Times
'A damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, aging president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term.' New York Times
'The shocking truth of the last year of Biden's presidency . . . Original Sin presents a scathing account of an elderly, egotistical president cocooned from reality.' Guardian
'Original Sin's simple assessment of the 2024 race is more compelling than anything else I've read about it . . . Extensive reporting and clear-eyed prose.' Washington Post
Reviews / Votes
Damning and well-documented. * TELEGRAPH * A scathing account of an elderly, egotistical president cocooned from reality seeking re-election in 2024 despite significant concerns about his declining health and cognitive abilities. * GUARDIAN * Tapper and Thompson's portrait of a decrepit American president is devastating... Original Sin succeeds because it has a strong thesis and an arresting narrative, delivered in made-for-TV episodes. * FINANCIAL TIMES * How American voters became victims of one of the great poltiical cover-ups of modern times . . . It was the gaslighting of a nation. * THE TIMES * A fascinating insight... this book shines a blinding light on the extent to which Joe Biden was ageing rapidly, becoming tired and confused and patently unfit for a second term in office. * iNEWS * Explosive . . . Tapper and Thompson have done the [Democratic] party a favor. Some sort of reckoning is due for the disastrous missteps that that paved the way for Trump's return. * MICHELLE GOLDBERG, co-author of POLITICAL CORRECTNESS * [The] most significant book to date about Biden's cognitive decline, which was written by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson and draws on hundreds of interviews . . . To their credit, they do little editorializing. The book is written not unlike an autopsy report, describing a gruesome political car crash in dispassionate, clinical detail. * ATLANTIC * Superbly reported . . . Reads like a Shakespearean drama on steroids. * LOS ANGELES TIMES * Original Sin is not really a 'campaign book'-its account of the 2024 election largely ends after Biden drops out-but its simple assessment of the race is more compelling than anything else I've read about it . . . Original Sin is rarely better than when Tapper and Thompson are writing-with extensive reporting and clear-eyed prose-about the disaster that Biden caused . . . Over the next year, dozens of books will appear that attempt to explain this election. It's hard to imagine any doing better than that. * WASHINGTON POST * A damning, step-by-step account of how the people closest to a stubborn, ageing president enabled his quixotic resolve to run for a second term. * NEW YORK TIMES *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Cornerstone
Target group
College/higher education
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 239 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 36 mm
Weight
558 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-5291-5548-8 (9781529155488)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Jake Tapper | Alex Thompson
Original Sin
President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again
Book
01/2026
Penguin (Cornerstone)
€14.00
Available immediately
Jake Tapper | Alex Thompson
Original Sin
President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again
E-Book
05/2025
Penguin (Cornerstone)
€9.49
Available for download
Jake Tapper | Alex Thompson
Original Sin
President Biden's decline, its cover-up, and his disastrous choice to run again
Book
05/2025
Hutchinson Heinemann
€21.50
Available immediately
Persons
Jake Tapper is the chief Washington correspondent for CNN. An Emmy Award-winning TV journalist and twice New York Times-bestselling novelist, in 2024 he chaired the Trump-Biden debate that began the unravelling of the president's re-election campaign. A Dartmouth graduate and Philadelphia native, he lives in Washington, DC with his family.
Alex Thompson is a national political correspondent for Axios and a CNN contributor. Before that, he created Politico's West Wing Playbook newsletter and worked at the New York Times and Vice News. A Harvard graduate, he lives in Washington, DC.
Alex Thompson is a national political correspondent for Axios and a CNN contributor. Before that, he created Politico's West Wing Playbook newsletter and worked at the New York Times and Vice News. A Harvard graduate, he lives in Washington, DC.