Joe Biden says he could ‘beat the hell’ out of CNN’s Jake Tapper

Former President Joe Biden doesn’t appear to be much of a fan of Jake Tapper’s new book.

Following a speech celebrating veterans in New Castle, Del., Biden, 82, was asked about Original Sin, a book cowritten by CNN anchor and Axios reporter Alex Thompson.

The book, based on interviews with Democrats and former White House staffers, argues Biden’s top advisers and family members conspired to keep the aging president’s declining faculties hidden from the public.

Biden bristled a bit when asked about the reaction to the book by a CNN reporter following his speech.

“You can see that I’m mentally incompetent and I can’t walk, and I can beat the hell out of both of them,” Biden told reporters.

Biden, who dropped out of the 2024 election following a disastrous debate against Donald Trump, was also asked to reply to Democrats who have now questioned his decision to run for reelection.

“Why didn’t they run against me then?” Biden said, pausing for dramatic effect. “Because I’d have beaten them.”

If Biden had any regrets about potentially costing Democrats a chance at defeating Trump, he didn’t reveal them Friday.

“I’m very proud, I’ll put my record as president against any president at all,” Biden said.

The speech was Biden’s first public appearance since announcing his prostate cancer diagnosis earlier this month. The former president told CNN he was “optimistic” about his chances and said his current treatment consists of taking “one particular pill” for the next six weeks.

“One of the leading surgeons in the world was working with me, and he had [been] diagnosed with the same exact thing 32 years ago,” Biden said. “He’s alive and well and doing very well. So we’re optimistic.”