The 'Fog Of Delusion' In Biden's Inner Circle

Fresh Air

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4.4 • 34.4K Ratings

🗓️ 8 April 2025

⏱️ 50 minutes

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Summary

Author Chris Whipple says Biden's family and closest advisors operated in denial regarding his ability to serve another term: "There's no doubt that they were protecting the president." Whipple spoke with campaign insiders to get a behind-the-scenes look at what happened in 2024. His book is Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History.

Our book critic Maureen Corrigan shares an appreciation of The Great Gatsby for its 100th anniversary.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	This message comes from MintMobile.
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0:05.3	They offer premium wireless plans for less, and all plans include high-speed data, unlimited talk and text, and nationwide coverage.
0:12.2	See for yourself at mintmobile.com slash switch.
0:16.0	This is fresh air. I'm Terry Gross.
0:18.9	Democrats are still asking questions like, why didn't Joe Biden end
0:22.8	his reelection campaign sooner? Why did he even run for re-election, knowing that he would have been
0:28.6	82 when he started his second term and 86 when it ended? Why didn't his staff tell him he wasn't
0:34.9	up to the job? How did Kamala Harris lose to Trump after Trump
0:39.0	tried to overturn the results of the 2020 election and was convicted of 34 felonies?
0:44.7	My guest Chris Whipple explores these questions from different perspectives in his new book,
0:49.4	Uncharted, How Trump Beat Biden, Harris and the Od odds in the wildest campaign in history.
0:56.1	Whipple's previous book was about the first two years of the Biden presidency.
1:00.1	He's also the author of The Spymasters,
1:02.6	how the CIA directors shape history and the future,
1:06.3	and the gatekeepers, how the White House chiefs of staff define every presidency. Biden's chief of staff
1:12.9	during the first two years of his presidency, Ron Clayne, was a major source for the new book about the
1:18.1	2024 election, as was Biden's final chief of staff, Jeffrey Zines. Chris Whipple is also a documentary
1:25.1	filmmaker and has won a Peabody and an Emmy.
1:28.2	Chris Whipple, welcome to fresh air.
1:30.7	Great to be with you. Thanks for having me.
1:32.7	So you're right. The truth was that Joe Biden was too old to run for re-election, much less govern effectively in a second term.
	...

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