During his time in the White House, as Joe Biden got older and his health worsened, his closest aides devised strategies to support him, even considering the possibility of using a wheelchair.
The root cause of the concern: Biden’s spine degeneration.
Concerns arose among his team regarding his deteriorating ability to walk as the 81-year-old Democrat contemplated running for office again, as detailed in the upcoming book ‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.’
The forthcoming book, authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, provides a glimpse behind the scenes from individuals within the former president’s inner circle, including 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,’ the authors penned.
Internet critics and medical professionals weighed-in on Biden’s shuffle towards the end of his presidency, mentioning how he didn’t full lift his feet when walking and noting his increasing incidents of tripping, stumbling and even falling to the ground.
A forthcoming book details how Joe Biden’s team considered whether they should put him in a wheelchair and hide it until after the 2024 election
Biden became known for his uneasy gait and shuffle, often leading to trip, stumbles, fumbles and outright falls. Pictured: Then-Vice President Joe Biden trips up the steps of a stage before a speech at a Paddington Town Hall in Sydney, Australia on July 20, 2016
During a commencement address at the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado on June 1, 2023, Biden tripped and fell down while on stage. A few members of his Secret Service detail rushed to help him back to his feet.
On June 18, 2022, Biden fell off his bike while on a ride in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware.
He would often trip while walking up stairs, like when he was still vice president in July 20, 2016 and tripped on stairs when coming up on stage for a speech at a town hall in Sydney, Australia.
On several occasions in his presidential term, Biden fell or stumbled when walking the stairs of Air Force One.
He even began taking the shorter route on the underbelly of the aircraft to avoid the long staircase usually utilized by the president when embarking the big plane.
‘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,’ an excerpt from the book states.
Biden fell to the ground after remarks at the U.S. Air Force Academy Graduation Ceremony in Colorado Springs, Colorado on June 1, 2023
The then-president pointed to sandbags that he fell over during the commencement
Biden was also known for often tripping up the stairs of Air Force One. Pictured: Biden falling up stairs of Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews as he departed for Atlanta, Georgia to visit the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in March 2021
But Biden’s team often told reporters during his 2024 reelection campaign that his halting gait was the result of him fracturing his foot in November 2020 and refusing to wear his walking boot.
The conversations about wheelchair use reflect Biden’s extreme health decline and spine issues, and the extent to which his White House team was willing to go to conceal it during a tough reelection.
Ex-White House Physician Kevin O’Connor, privately worried to colleagues about the former president taking another fall, warning it could prove a hard recovery at his advanced age, the book notes.
Biden, now 82, was the oldest president in U.S. history when elected and when he left office.
He was so infirm during his later years in office that his doctor feuded with staffers to get the president more rest. O’Connor went as far to say Biden’s aides were trying to kill him but running him ragged.
But Republicans were highly critical of Biden’s actions.
Donald Trump often employed the nickname ‘Sleepy Joe’ and his MAGA loyalists would say that he spent most of his days sleeping rather than conducting presidential duties.
