Former President Bill Clinton came to Joe Biden’s defense in a recent interview, dismissing claims of cognitive decline and asserting that the former president was fully capable during his time in office. Speaking with correspondent Tracy Smith on CBS Sunday Morning, Clinton responded to growing scrutiny surrounding Biden’s health, fueled in part by the release of a new book titled Original Sin.
The book, authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson, alleges that Biden’s aides concealed signs of the president’s declining mental and physical condition during his failed reelection campaign. In response, a Biden spokesperson acknowledged that “there were physical changes as [Biden] got older,” but emphasized that “evidence of aging is not evidence of mental incapacity.”
When asked directly if he had ever doubted Biden’s fitness to serve, Clinton replied emphatically: “No. I thought he was a good president.” He continued, “The only concern I thought he had to deal with was, could anybody do that job until they were 86?” referencing Biden’s advanced age. Clinton added that he and Biden had held several long conversations and that he had never walked away from one thinking, “he can’t do this anymore.”
“He was always on top of his briefs,” Clinton emphasized. Pressed again by Smith about whether he ever observed signs of cognitive decline, Clinton stood firm: “No.” Clinton shared that he saw Biden “not very long ago” and believed he was “in good shape.” He also revealed that he had not read Original Sin, explaining, “I didn’t want to because he’s not president anymore, and I think he did a good job.”
He added, “Some people are trying to use this as a way to blame him for the fact that Trump was reelected.” Biden’s health became a point of national focus during his presidency, especially following a widely criticized debate performance in June 2024. Mounting concerns led Biden to withdraw from the 2024 race, with Vice President Kamala Harris stepping in as the Democratic nominee.
Harris ultimately lost to Donald Trump, who reclaimed the presidency and returned to the White House in January 2025. Further questions arose last month when Biden publicly revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer.
The announcement reignited speculation over whether his health issues had been more serious than publicly acknowledged during his time in office. A clip from Clinton’s full interview aired on CBS’s Sunday Morning, offering his perspective on both Biden’s presidency and the political fallout following the 2024 election.