Former President Joe Biden’s team considered the possibility that they might have to put him in a wheelchair if he won re-election in 2024, the upcoming book “Original Sin” claims.
According to the book from CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, information given to the American people about then-President Biden’s physical condition was often at odds with evaluations from his personal physician.
“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,” Tapper and Thompson wrote.
Biden’s physician suggested that a wheelchair might be necessary – especially if the president were to fall at any point — because his age and condition could prolong recovery.
“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 book reads.
Biden’s team did show concerns that he could fall, and took precautions such as using the shorter staircase from Air Force One and having the president wear shoes that were made for better stability.
Still, according to the book, O’Connor often felt as though Biden’s aides were not doing enough to make sure that he was taking proper precautions and getting enough rest.
“O’Connor sometimes quipped that Biden’s staff members were trying to kill him, while he was trying to keep him alive,” Axios reported.
Another instance that showed O’Connor and Biden’s team in conflict was the aftermath of a 2020 fall in which Biden fractured his foot. After the president wore a walking boot for more than two months, O’Connor announced that “both small fractures of his foot are completely healed” and that “this injury has healed as expected.”
But throughout 2024, as critics increasingly noticed the president’s awkward gait, aides claimed that his halting step resulted from his refusal to wear the boot long enough when he’d been recovering from the fractures in his foot. “In short, they said, Biden was being undone by his own vigor,” Axios reported.
Biden’s team has responded to early reports from the book, saying, “So far, we are still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden had to make a presidential decision or make a presidential address where he was unable to do his job because of mental decline. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite — he was a very effective president.”
