Welcome to The New Yorker Brief. Today: Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson uncover President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline in their new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. Tapping more than two hundred insiders, they reveal how aides “obscured the President’s increasingly diminished cognitive capacities,” scripting Cabinet meetings and tightening his “block calendar” until some days ended at 4:30 P.M.

Behind the scenes, staffers told each other, “He’s fine, be quiet.” Even George Clooney, hosting a $30 million fundraiser, watched Biden shuffle in and fail to recognize him—after two decades of friendship. One senior aide summed it up: “The job is making hard decisions and communicating them to the American people,” a skill Biden increasingly lost.

On debate night, moderator Jake Tapper tapped into his iPad: “Holy smokes,” as Biden slurred answers and shuffled on stage. With only five senators in his corner, the President finally saw no path forward. For The New Yorker Brief, I’m [Host Name].
Link to Article