New Book Reveals Biden Aides Were Planning To Put Joe Biden In Wheelchair If Re-Elected

A new book has revealed that Biden’s top aides were so concerned about his health that they planned to put him in a wheelchair.

The scoop appears in CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson’s new book “Original Sin,” which will be released on May 20.

Tapper and Thompson wrote, “Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election.”

“Given Biden’s age, [his physician Kevin O’Connor] also privately said that if he had another bad fall, a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery,” added the authors.

The book further reported that Biden’s aides refrained from putting him in a wheelchair during his re-election campaign due to it having bad optics.

Biden aides discussed if president would need wheelchair if re-elected https://t.co/8Clk62Ntx3 pic.twitter.com/8dPmUyixfm

— New York Post (@nypost) May 13, 2025

🚨Tapper: WH physician told Biden aides he might have to be in a wheelchair if he fell again:

"President Biden's deterioration of his spine, the degeneration was so significant that if he fell one more time, that he might have to be in a wheelchair and serve in a wheelchair, for… pic.twitter.com/rF7z1GFfEH

— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) May 13, 2025

Here’s what Axios reported:

Joe Biden’s physical deterioration was so severe in 2023 and 2024 that advisers privately discussed the possibility he’d need to use a wheelchair if he won re-election, CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson write in their new book, “Original Sin,” out May 20.

The discussions reflected the extent of the president’s declining health — particularly the significant degeneration of his spine — and his aides’ alarm over it as Biden sought a second term at age 81.

The conversations also reveal the White House’s determination to conceal the reality of Biden’s condition, at the risk of his own health, while he faced a tough re-election bid against Donald Trump.

The book is based on interviews with more than 200 people, mostly Democratic insiders, with knowledge of the events that unfolded during the final two years of Biden’s presidency. Almost all of the interviews took place after the 2024 election.

“Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election,” the authors write.

Biden aides believed it was politically untenable to have Biden use a wheelchair during his re-election campaign.
“Given Biden’s age, [his physician Kevin O’Connor] also privately said that if he had another bad fall, a wheelchair might be necessary for what could be a difficult recovery,” the authors report.

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🚨 EXCLUSIVE: Joe Biden's physical deterioration was so severe that advisers privately discussed the possibility he'd need to use a wheelchair if he won re-election, @jaketapper and @AlexThomp write in their new book. https://t.co/Vsgrjoz2JW

— Axios (@axios) May 13, 2025

Per Fox News:

Former President Joe Biden’s aides privately discussed the possibility of the president needing to use a wheelchair if he were re-elected in the 2024 race, as his physical deterioration spiraled in 2023 and 2024, a new book claims.

“Biden’s physical deterioration — most apparent in his halting walk — had become so severe that there were internal discussions about putting the president in a wheelchair, but they couldn’t do so until after the election,” an upcoming book called “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” states.

CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson authored the upcoming book, which is set to be released Tuesday and is just the latest in a series of recent political books detailing the unprecedented 2024 presidential election, where calls mounted for Biden’s exit due to concerns over his mental acuity and age.

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