Biden on ‘Original Sin' authors: ‘I can beat the hell out of both of them'
Biden was asked about chatter regarding his health stemming from a new book, 'Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again' by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson after speaking at an event in Delaware on Friday.
'You can see that I'm mentally incompetent, I can't walk — and I can beat the hell out of both of them,' Biden said with a smirk while speaking with reporters.
The former president was asked if he wanted to respond to any of the reporting in the book, which revealed the extent to which top White House aides were kept in the dark about his condition, or to questions among Democrats whether he should have run for reelection.
'Why didn't they run against me then?' Biden replied. 'Because I'd have beaten them.'
Biden announced earlier this month he had been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and Friday's remarks were his first since the announcement.
The former president said his doctors are 'optimistic' about his prognosis.
Tapper and Thompson's book has given fuel to attacks from President Trump and his allies alleging a 'cover-up' of Biden's condition by Democrats and media outlets.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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