Former First Lady Jill Biden shut down conversations on Joe’s mental decline and shielded Joe from the truth as a bombshell book claims she was the real power behind the White House curtain.
In a jaw-dropping new expose, Original Sin lifts the lid on what insiders claim is the White House’s deepest secret – Jill Biden’s iron grip on power and the extraordinary lengths she allegedly went to protect her husband from the public.
According to the explosive book, penned by CNN host Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson, Dr Biden, as she liked to be known because of her doctoral degree in education, emerges not only as a loyal wife but a behind-the-scenes powerbroker who helped prop up an ageing Joe Biden as his mental and physical decline became harder to hide.
With more than 200 sources interviewed, many from within Biden’s own party, the authors paint a disturbing portrait of a presidency in crisis, where aides feared the truth and the First Lady played protector.
Behind closed doors, the book claims Jill berated staff in private, defended his missteps in public, and helped him finish his thoughts in conversations, maintaining a ‘constant influence over the West Wing’.
Key figures including her senior adviser Anthony Bernal and deputy chief of staff Annie Tomasini reportedly wielded unchecked access to the Bidens’ private residence and were feared by junior officials.
‘As Jill’s power rose, so did Bernal’s,’ the book reveals. ‘Biden aides would say that she was one of the most powerful first ladies in history, and as a result, he became one of the most influential people in the White House.’
In one telling moment after Biden’s now-infamous debate stumble against Donald Trump, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro tried to level with the former president over his faltering campaign.
In a jaw-dropping new expose, Original Sin lifts the lid on what insiders claim is the White House’s deepest secret – Jill Biden’s iron grip on power and the extraordinary lengths she allegedly went to protect her husband from the public
Jill helps husband Joe Biden from the CNN debate stage after his car-crash debate with Trump that sparked calls for him to step down
The 81-year-old was seen clutching his wife’s arm as they departed Marine One in The Hamptons to attend a fundraiser
Biden became known for his uneasy gait and shuffle, often leading to trip, stumbles, fumbles and outright falls
But before the truth could sink in, the First Lady abruptly stood up and shut down the conversation.
‘Alright, we gotta go’, she said, dragging her husband away mid-smoothie.
This is just one of many examples the book claims illustrates how Jill worked tirelessly to protect Joe not just from political opponents, but from the harsh realities of his own campaign struggles.
While publicly defending her husband with unwavering resolve, the First Lady reportedly fumed behind closed doors when events didn’t go to plan.
On the eve of the president’s first year in office, Biden gave a press conference that ran for almost two hours.
The president had made his way through the whole list of reporters handed to him on a cheat sheet before veering off-script, calling on conservative journalist James Rosen, of the hard-right NewsMax channel, to ask a question.
‘Why do you suppose such large segments of the American electorate have come to harbour such profound concerns about your cognitive fitness?’ he asked.
‘I have no idea,’ Biden responded. Jill was reportedly livid at the situation.
‘Why didn’t anyone stop that?’ she allegedly demanded of his staff.
Even in routine White House meetings, aides would prepare detailed scripts and talking points for the president – not just for press briefings but for private cabinet discussions.
While publicly defending her husband with unwavering resolve, the First Lady reportedly fumed behind closed doors when events didn’t go to plan
The book paints a picture of a tightly managed leader who increasingly relied on cue cards, with conversations often scripted well after the cameras were turned off.
One shocking moment described in Original Sin took place at a glitzy Hollywood fundraiser with A-list actors George Clooney and Julia Roberts.
The president reportedly struggled to recognise the movie star – a man he had known for years – and allegedly greeted Clooney with a repeated ‘Thank you for being here,’ before an aide was forced to step in and whisper his identity.
‘Mr Clooney felt a knot form in his stomach as the president approached him,’ the book recounts.
But following the interaction, he was left ‘shaken to his core’ and the moment became a catalyst for his later public call for Biden to bow out of the presidential race.
The book doesn’t shy away from the growing concerns that were spiralling around Biden’s health.
It details internal discussions among advisers about whether a wheelchair might be needed in a second term, citing worsening spinal issues and his increasingly careful stage management.
After a dramatic fall over a sandbag at the Air Force Academy in 2023, staff began devising shorter walking routes and editing footage to downplay his frailty.
On June 18, 2022, Biden fell off his bike while on a ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware
His shuffling gait had become the focus of news stories that aides even walked beside him to create a visual buffer.
White House physician Dr Kevin O’Connor reportedly warned that another serious fall could mean permanent use of a wheelchair, a reality aides deemed impossible to sell during a campaign but potentially unavoidable if Biden won the re-election.
President Joe Biden is helped up after falling during the graduation ceremony at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado. He fell while handing out diplomas to cadets
Behind closed doors, the book claims Jill berated staff in private, defended his missteps in public, and helped him finish his thoughts in conversations, maintaining a ‘constant influence over the West Wing’
Joe Biden stumbles while taking the stage to speak at Tioga Marine Terminal on October 13, 2023 in Philadelphia
Compounding the pressure, the book lays bare the emotional toll his son Hunter Biden’s scandals took on the president.
From tax evasion and firearms charges to lurid details of drug abuse and illicit relationships, Hunter’s spiralling legal troubles weighed heavily on his father.
‘To understand Joe Biden’s deterioration, top aides told us, one has to know Hunter’s struggles,’ the book says.
Hunter was three when he survived the car crash that killed his mother and sister and his life spiralled into alcohol and drug abuse after his older brother, Beau, died from a brain tumour in 2015.
He pleaded guilty to failing to pay $1.4 million in taxes from 2016 and 2019 in a case that laid out embarrassing details about his lifestyle, with tales of drugs, escorts and a sex club.
Months earlier, he was found guilty of lying about his drug use on a gun ownership form.
Again, evidence heard in court included deeply embarrassing details of his descent into crack addiction and his love affair with his brother’s widow.
‘A fourth cabinet secretary with whom we spoke saw Hunter’s June 2024 trial and conviction as akin to a five-hundred-pound weight dropping on the president’s head,’ the authors write.
The Bidens feared another relapse could claim their son’s life – and insiders say the president lived in constant dread of losing another child.
With its devastating detail and insider testimony, Original Sin paints a damning portrait of a presidency under siege – not just from political opponents, but from within its own walls.
Biden, now 82, was the oldest president in U.S. history when elected and when he left office.
He was so infirm during his later years in office that his doctor feuded with staffers to get the president more rest. O’Connor went as far to say Biden’s aides were trying to kill him but running him ragged.
But Republicans were highly critical of Biden’s actions.
Donald Trump often employed the nickname ‘Sleepy Joe’ and his MAGA loyalists would say that he spent most of his days sleeping rather than conducting presidential duties.
