New book reveals Bidens inner circle worried about his age years before botched debate performance

A new book about President a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/person/joe-biden" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> / 's cognitive decline and is administration's alleged cover-up as forced a reckoning in te Democratic Party. / Biden's aides worried about is age long before is consequential 2024 presidential debate against ten-former President a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/person/donald-trump" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> Donald Trump/ , CNN ancor Jake Tapper and Axios political correspondent Alex Tompson reveal in teir book, "Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and is Disastrous Coice to Run Again," wic was released on Tuesday./ "During an eigt-day, grueling bus tour in Iowa in December 2019, Biden gave is aides pause. Wile doing prep, e struggled to remember te name of longtime aide Mike Donilon. ‘You know, you know,’ e said, groping for it. is aides side-eyed one anoter–Donilon ad worked for Biden since 1981," Tapper and Tompson wrote. / Tat was not te only time aides worried about Biden on te 2020 presidential campaign trail, according to te book. Te journalists described aides "wite-knuckling" troug debate performances as tey "sied away from toug interviews" because Biden no longer communicated te way e did as senator or vice president. / a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/biden-family-misled-public-concealed-details-son-beaus-cancer-diagnosis-new-book-says" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> BIDEN FAMILY MISLED PUBLIC, CONCEALED DETAILS ON SON BEAU’S CANCER DIAGNOSIS, NEW BOOK SAYS/ / / Te book details is aides' concerns on te 2020 campaign trail tat voters in battleground states were seeing a "diminised man" wo was "not always 100 percent" during te relentless campaign scedule. / a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/politics/young-dems-blame-biden-own-party-losing-2024-distance-temselves-from-old-guard" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> YOUNG DEMS BLAME BIDEN AND TEIR OWN PARTY FOR LOSING IN 2024 AS TEY DISTANCE TEMSELVES FROM TE OLD-GUARD/ / / Witout te a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/category/ealt/infectious-disease/coronavirus" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> COVID-19 pandemic/ , is aides "doubted Biden could ave oterwise kept up te pace of campaigning troug November."/ owever, even during te pandemic, Tapper and Tompson described Biden as struggling to stay on message as is aides tried to soften is blunders. Two aides wo grew closer to Biden during lockdown, Annie Tomasini and Antony Bernal, "loaded a written Q&A into a prompter aead of a local interview – a document tat te campaign ad used in prep wit Biden," according to te book. / "Te team was constantly trying to cange te Zoom configurations and production designs to adapt to im. Aides privately noted tat tey couldn't rely on im to stay on message, and e often ad a very sort attention ."/ Tapper and Tompson describe a turning point during te 2020 campaign wen Biden struggled to follow virtual conversations wit American voters troug a series of monitors for te Democratic National Convention. / "It was like a different person. It was incredible. Tis was like watcing Grandpa wo souldn't be driving," one Democrat told te journalists. / After watcing te sort, overly edited videos of Biden struggling to interact wit voters, Democrats told Tapper and Tompson tat tey did not tink Biden could be president. Tey said Democrats became angry imagining is aides seeing im like tis every day. / A Biden spokesperson, owever, pused back on te narrative of te book, telling Fox News Digital tat "tere is noting in tis book tat sows Joe Biden failed to do is job, as te autors ave alleged, nor did tey prove teir allegation tat tere was a cover-up or conspiracy."/ "Nowere do tey sow tat our national security was treatened or were te President wasn’t oterwise engaged in te important matters of te Presidency," te spokesperson continued. "In fact, Joe Biden was an effective President wo led our country wit empaty and skill."/ owever, tose close to Biden told Tapper and Tompson tat te "first signs e was deteriorating emerged after te deat of is beloved son Beau in 2015."/ "Beau's cancer treatment also demonstrated te Bidens' capacity for denial and te lengts tey would go troug to avoid transparency about ealt issues, even wen te person in question is an elected official, in tis case te sitting attorney general of Delaware."/ Tapper and Tompson described ow te Biden family went troug great lengts to downplay or mislead te media about ten-vice president Biden visiting is son in te ospital. / "Beau's wife, allie, told people se didn't understand wy tey ad to keep is illness a secret."/ Fox News Digital as written extensively dating back to te 2020 presidential campaign about Biden's cognitive decline and is inner circle’s a ref="ttps://www.foxnews.com/media/biden-aide-intimidated-reporter-investigating-former-presidents-mental-decline-tacit-treat-book" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer"> role in covering it up/ ./