Jill Biden ‘ran the White House and shut down speculation over Joe's health'
Jill Biden ran the White House from behind the scenes, shutting down conversations about her husband's mental decline, a new book has claimed.
The first lady is said to have wielded unprecedented power in the Biden administration, completing the former president's thoughts and refusing to hear any criticism of his abilities or political judgment.
Mrs Biden was 'one of the most powerful first ladies in history', according to Original Sin, a new book about Mr Biden's mental decline and the attempts of his team to conceal it ahead of the 2024 presidential election.
'As Jill's power rose, so did [Anthony] Bernal's,' her top aide, the authors wrote. '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.'
Mr Bernal, who was described as Mrs Biden's 'prized pupil', could allegedly shut down any conversation about the president's age and mental faculties by telling fellow White House staffers, 'Jill isn't going to like this'.
While the former first lady continued teaching community college classes during her husband's presidency, she is said to have maintained a 'constant influence over the West Wing' through Mr Bernal, who referred to himself as 'the Biden marriage counsellor'.
In the book, by journalists Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, Mrs Biden is described as a fierce advocate for her 82-year-old husband.
It said she would not heed criticism of his mental sharpness or political prowess, and became more influential as he grew older.
In 2022, when a donor suggested that Mr Biden should not run again, Mrs Biden allegedly remained silent, later telling friends: 'I can't believe I didn't defend Joe.'
When the president went off script in a press conference that year, following a question about his cognitive fitness, Mrs Biden allegedly 'blasted' the president's staff for letting the interview go on for so long.
The former president eventually dropped out of the race for re-election in June 2024 after a disastrous debate performance, leaving Kamala Harris just four months to convince the public she was the woman to beat Mr Trump.
Following his withdrawal, one leading Democrat who met the former first couple said Mr Biden's deterioration was so stark his wife had to 'complete some of his thoughts'.
'He was not fine. She [the First Lady] had to complete some of his thoughts. It was not fine. I got emotional leaving the White House because he was clearly not f---ing fine,' the insider said.
A reporter close to the couple added: 'The Bidens' greatest strength is living in their own reality.'
The book is one of a number of new releases promising to lift the lid on efforts to conceal Mr Biden's mental and physical decline by those around him in the lead up to the election.
The Democrats have been widely criticised for not facing up to the former president's deterioration, ultimately resulting in Donald Trump's victory. Responding to criticism of her husband in a recent joint interview on The View, Mrs Biden said: 'The people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us, and they didn't see how hard Joe worked every single day.'
Addressing allegations she was too close to the situation to accurately assess her husband's ability to serve a second term, she added: 'I did not create a cocoon around him.'
Elsewhere, the book claims Biden failed to recognise George Clooney, despite knowing him for 20 years and attempts by aides to jog his memory, at a fundraiser the actor hosted for him.
'It was not OK,' one event attendee told the book's authors, while another added that the president appeared 'catatonic'.
Clooney is said to have been 'shaken to his core' by the encounter and weeks later called for Mr Biden to drop out of the race.
Aides also discussed the prospect of him needing a wheelchair if he were re-elected. They believed it would be politically impossible to have him use one during his campaign, as Mr Trump repeatedly brought attention to his frailty.
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