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Former President Joe Biden's Cabinet meetings were overly "scripted," CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios governmental analogous Alex Thompson uncover successful their book, "Original Sin," an outline of Biden's cognitive decline and his administration's alleged cover-up.
"The Cabinet meetings were unspeakable and astatine times uncomfortable – and they were from the beginning," a Cabinet subordinate told the authors. "I don't callback a large Cabinet gathering successful presumption of his presence. They were truthful scripted."
The White House's speechwriters shortened Biden's remarks and shrank his vocabulary to accommodate to "Biden's diminished capabilities," according to Tapper and Thompson. During his one-term presidency, Biden's aides told the journalists that helium became progressively reliant connected teleprompters and enactment cards, adjacent for backstage conversations and successful Cabinet meetings.
Four Cabinet members who spoke with Tapper and Thompson described Biden's meetings arsenic overly scripted. One Cabinet caput said helium hated "the scripts" for Cabinet meetings, portion different doubted successful 2022 that helium could tally for re-election.
A caller publication describes President Joe Biden's Cabinet meetings arsenic "scripted" and "uncomfortable." (Paul Morigi/Getty Images for Care Can't Wait Action)
"You privation radical to archer you the information and person a existent dialogue, and those meetings were not that," a Cabinet subordinate told Tapper and Thompson.
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However, arsenic Biden's atrocious speeches and reliance connected enactment cards became communal practice, a speechwriter told Tapper and Thompson that implicit time, "they conscionable got utilized to it."
The communicative down closed doors was inconsistent with the White House's narrative, according to "Original Sin."
In January 2024, the White House convened a gathering with Biden, his nationalist information advisers and legislature enactment to impulse Congress to proceed financially supporting Ukraine against Russia's invasion.
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, speaks during a quality league astatine the U.S. Capitol successful Washington, D.C., connected Feb. 6, 2025. (Bloomberg via Getty Images)
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries described Biden arsenic "incredibly strong, forceful, and decisive," and the authoritative White House readout said Biden was "clear" astir protecting nationalist information and "underscored the value of Congress ensuring Ukraine has the resources it needs."
However, a House Democrat who attended the gathering said, "That's not true," Tapper and Thompson wrote. A 2nd House Democrat described the gathering arsenic a "disaster," and a "s---show."
"For the archetypal 20 minutes of the meeting, the president listlessly work slug points retired of a binder. For galore astatine the table, helium was hard to hear. He stumbled implicit words; helium started sentences and past stopped abruptly; helium trailed off," Tapper and Thompson said.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan looks connected during a associated property league with Andrii Yermak, caput of the bureau of the president of Ukraine, connected March 20, 2024 successful Kyiv, Ukraine. (Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images )
A House Democrat said helium was "not susceptible of making a strong, forceful argument," and deferred to National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan and National Intelligence Director Avril Haines to reply questions, arsenic outlined successful "Original Sin."
Tapper and Thompson described a concerning lawsuit for elder medication officials connected the day of the Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade decision. After speechmaking a "weak, slurry" code from a teleprompter, Biden confused Alabama with Texas and past his ain Cabinet members, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra.
"I blasted his interior circle, and I blasted him," an authoritative who recovered the lawsuit "crazy" told the authors a twelvemonth later.
As Cabinet members observed concerning practices that accompanied Biden's day-to-day meetings, Tapper and Thompson described however the president's ellipse grew smaller and smaller successful 2023 and 2024.
President Joe Biden and archetypal woman Jill Biden get successful Marine One connected the South Lawn of the White House connected Aug. 5, 2024 successful Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
"Access dropped disconnected considerably successful 2024, and I didn't interact with him arsenic much," a Cabinet caput told the authors. "I didn't get an explanation."
The Cabinet caput said they briefed elder White House aides who would past pass the accusation to the president themselves. They questioned if it was the White House's mode of filtering accusation to signifier his decisions.
"I deliberation the radical astir him had their ain agenda, and they didn't privation much radical astir him," different Cabinet subordinate told Tapper and Thompson.
The Cabinet members who spoke to Tapper and Thompson described a "weird period" erstwhile they didn't person immoderate entree to Biden for months betwixt 2023 and 2024. They described it arsenic a "deliberate strategy by the White House to person him conscionable with arsenic fewer radical arsenic necessary." When they did spot him, they said they were shocked astatine however "disoriented" and "out of it" helium seemed, mumbling and "not making overmuch sense."
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Fox News Digital has written extensively dating backmost to the 2020 statesmanlike run astir Biden's cognitive diminution and his interior circle’s alleged role successful covering it up.
A Biden spokesperson did not instantly respond to Fox News Digital's petition for comment.
Deirdre Heavey is simply a authorities writer for Fox News Digital.
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