President Joe Biden’s aides have strongly pushed back against claims made in a forthcoming book that alleges his inner circle deliberately concealed signs of his physical deterioration during his failed 2024 re-election campaign.

The book, Original Sin, co-authored by CNN's Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson, is set for release on May 20. It details internal concerns about Biden’s health, including claims that his condition had declined to the point where staff discussed the possibility of using a wheelchair—though only after the election to avoid public scrutiny.

A spokesperson for Biden, now 82, dismissed the book’s claims, stating: “Evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity.” They defended Biden’s presidency, asserting, “We are still waiting for someone, anyone, to point out where Joe Biden failed to do his job because of mental decline. In fact, the evidence points to the opposite — he was a very effective president.”

Biden dropped out of the presidential race last July following a poor debate performance against Republican candidate Donald Trump. The late withdrawal left Vice President Kamala Harris with just 107 days to mount a challenge—a timeline many Democrats saw as insufficient. Trump ultimately won the election.

The book is based on interviews with over 200 individuals, mostly anonymous sources, but includes on-the-record remarks from some high-profile Democrats. David Plouffe, a key figure in Harris’s campaign, is quoted saying, “We got so screwed by Biden as a party.”

Among the claims, the book notes Biden’s increasingly halting walk and his difficulty with stairs, prompting aides to adjust his routines—shortening walking distances, encouraging use of handrails, and switching to sneakers more frequently. While White House staff attributed his gait to a 2020 foot fracture, the book suggests deeper health concerns.

One anecdote alleges that during a campaign fundraiser last June, Biden failed to recognize host George Clooney, prompting an aide to identify the actor. Weeks later, Clooney publicly called for Biden to exit the race in a New York Times op-ed.

The book also alleges Biden struggled to remember the names of longtime aides, including Mike Donilon, Jake Sullivan, and Kate Bedingfield.

While the book paints a troubling picture of Biden’s physical and cognitive state during his final year in office, his team remains adamant that the former president was fully capable of fulfilling his duties throughout his term.