A new book alleges that top aides to President Joe Biden systematically concealed signs of his cognitive decline ahead of the 2024 election.

White House Insiders Allegedly Withheld the Truth

In a revealing interview, Axios political correspondent Alex Thompson claimed that senior members of President Joe Biden’s administration misled the public about the president’s cognitive condition in the lead-up to the 2024 election. Speaking as co-author of the book Original Sin, Thompson described a calculated and sustained effort to prevent voters—and even senior White House officials—from recognizing signs of Biden’s mental decline.

Thompson stated that key figures such as former Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, and former Chief of Staff Ron Klain publicly described Biden as “sharp,” “focused,” and “detail-oriented.” However, the book suggests this portrayal sharply diverged from internal concerns and observations.

“They weren’t telling the truth,” Thompson said. “The book conclusively shows what was going on behind the scenes.” He pointed to deliberate steps taken in 2023 and 2024 to isolate the president and control access to him—even from members of his own Cabinet.

One former White House official reportedly left their position in 2024 due to discomfort with efforts to obscure Biden’s visible decline. “They were not comfortable with how they were trying to shield the extent of the decline,” Thompson noted.

Debate Performance Marked a Turning Point

The turning point, according to Thompson, came during the June 2024 presidential debate against Donald Trump. Biden’s performance drew widespread attention and concern, confirming what insiders had long tried to suppress. “The Joe Biden that people saw on that debate stage… it was not the first time he had acted like that,” Thompson said.

He also referenced audio from the Robert Hur investigation as supporting evidence, stating, “You can sort of hear ‘debate Biden.’” These moments, he argued, exposed a version of the president that staff worked desperately to hide from the public eye.

Thompson emphasized that Biden’s condition had become more difficult to conceal over time, despite aides’ increasingly “frantic efforts.” He suggested that many Americans were shocked during the debate because it was the first time they had seen the “extent” of the problem unfiltered.

Although White House press officials dismissed criticism as right-wing spin and blamed selectively edited videos, Thompson asserted the pattern of concealment went much deeper and was sustained over multiple years. “This wasn’t about one moment or one mistake. This was a structure built to protect an image that no longer matched reality,” he said.

The book raises broader questions about transparency and the obligations of presidential aides to the American public. As the 2024 election approached, Thompson contends that protecting the perception of stability took priority over acknowledging troubling internal realities.