Chris Whipple's book reveals Biden's fatigue during crucial debate prep
Former White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain witnessed an unusually exhausted and disengaged Joe Biden during preparations for his crucial June debate against President Donald Trump.
According to Fox News, author Chris Whipple's upcoming book reveals that Biden appeared "fatigued, befuddled and disengaged" during debate preparation sessions, raising concerns about his performance capabilities.
The revelations come from Whipple's new book "Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History," set to release this month.
Klain, who served as Biden's chief of staff from 2021 to 2023, provided detailed accounts of concerning moments during debate preparation at Aspen Lodge.
Troubling Signs During Presidential Debate Prep
During their first meeting at the president's cabin, Klain observed an alarmingly tired Biden who seemed disconnected from his own campaign activities. The situation became more evident when Biden unexpectedly excused himself midway through the session to sit by the pool.
Whipple quoted Klain's observations of Biden's concerning state:
At his first meeting with Biden in Aspen Lodge, the president's cabin, he was startled. He'd never seen him so exhausted and out of it. Biden was unaware of what was happening in his own campaign. Halfway through the session, the president excused himself and went off to sit by the pool.
The preparation team organized two mock debates to help Biden prepare for his face-off with Trump. However, both practice sessions ended prematurely due to Biden's apparent exhaustion and limited engagement with the subject matter.
Failed Mock Debate Attempts Paint Worrying Picture
The first mock debate, originally scheduled for 90 minutes, was cut short after just 45 minutes. Biden struggled with his voice and demonstrated a limited grasp of topics beyond infrastructure and job creation statistics. His inability to articulate a clear vision for a second term particularly concerned his advisers.
The second attempt proved even less successful, lasting only 25 minutes before Biden requested to end the session.
According to Whipple's account, Biden admitted to being too tired to continue and expressed concerns about losing his voice. He opted to retire to bed instead of completing the preparation.
Klain, who later spoke with Politico, attempted to clarify his comments about Biden's condition. He emphasized that the president's struggles stemmed from isolation from domestic politics rather than cognitive decline.
Multiple Books Set to Examine 2024 Campaign
Several prominent journalists and authors are preparing to release books about the unprecedented 2024 campaign season.
Jake Tapper from CNN and Alex Thompson from Axios will publish "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again" in May.
In a revealing interview with Politico, Whipple shared additional insights about Biden's inner circle:
I have fresh reporting on an hour-by-hour, day-by-day basis of Biden's final days, and obviously his decline is a major part of the story. I happen to think that to call it a 'cover-up' is simplistic. I think it was stranger and way more troubling than that. Biden's inner circle, his closest advisers, many of them were in a fog of delusion and denial. They believed what they wanted to believe.
The Hill's Amie Parnes and NBC News' Jonathan Allen are also working on a book examining the campaign and factors leading to Biden's withdrawal from the race.
Critical Revelations About Presidential Campaign
Ron Klain, a longtime Biden ally and former White House chief of staff, provided unprecedented insights into the former president's concerning condition during crucial debate preparations against Donald Trump in June.
These revelations, detailed in Chris Whipple's upcoming book, shed light on Biden's struggles with fatigue and engagement during mock debates.
The story highlights significant concerns about Biden's preparedness for the debate, including his limited ability to discuss policy beyond infrastructure and his early withdrawal from practice sessions due to exhaustion. These events ultimately contributed to broader discussions about Biden's fitness for office and his campaign's eventual conclusion.