Naomi Biden, the eldest granddaughter of former President Joe Biden, called out CNN's Jake Tapper and British journalist Alex Thompson over their book Original Sin, in which they accuse the White House of covering up Biden's mental and physical decline in office.
The 82-year-old Biden was diagnosed on Friday with prostate cancer after reporting urinary symptoms, according to an official statement from his office. He and his family are currently reviewing treatment options with his medical team.
Biden's disclosure came prior to Original Sin's release. The book paints a sobering portrait of a president in cognitive decline who frequently lost his train of thought during high-level discussions, and even forgot key dates, including the death of his son, Beau.
Tapper later recalled questioning whether Biden would be able to finish the 2024 presidential debate against now-President Donald Trump, in which Biden appeared visibly diminished and delivering halting responses. Just weeks later, Biden announced he would exit the race for a second term.
In a post on X, Naomi Biden criticized the "silly book," calling it "political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class."
She said:
"Just read a copy of this silly book, and if anyone is curious for a review from someone who lived it first-hand: this book is political fairy smut for the permanent, professional chattering class. The ones who rarely enter the arena, but profit from the spectacle of those that do."
"Put simply, it amounts to a bunch of unoriginal, uninspired lies written by irresponsible self promoting journalists out to make a quick buck. It relies on unnamed, anonymous sources pushing a self-serving false narrative that absolves them of any responsibility for our current national nightmare."
"All of this at the expense of a man so completely good and honest that it is impossible for these people to ever understand the why or how of it all. There are real stories to be told and one day they will be. I suspect history will reward the truth."
You can see what she wrote below.
Others also criticized the book and sent their best wishes to the former president after Naomi Biden's post went viral.
Tapper and Thompson allege that Biden’s inner circle worked intentionally to shield the public from the full extent of his cognitive decline. The book stops short of directly accusing members of the media of complicity in that effort.
The former president's defenders argue there is no clear evidence that his judgment was compromised or that he posed any risk to national security.
Biden hasn't responded to the controversy surrounding the book, only issuing a poignant message on X acknowledging that "cancer touches us all." He said he "learned that we are strongest in the broken places" and thanked supporters for giving him and his wife Dr. Jill Biden "love and support."
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