A Fox News columnist has claimed the text may be ‘ghostwritten’ by the former president’s “inner circle” due to his mental decline
Former US President Joe Biden has sold the rights for his memoir focusing on his time in office for a roughly $10 million advance, the Wall Street Journal has reported. The sum is six times less than what the Obamas received for their memoirs in 2017 and is also $5 million less than what former President Bill Clinton got for his book in 2004.
Fox News columnist David Marcus questioned the former president’s ability to produce such a book in the first place, pointing to his rumored mental decline and claiming that the text may instead be “ghostwritten” by his “inner circle.” No one would allegedly be able to get “a book’s worth of sensible commentary” out of Biden, since he struggles to give a “10-minute interview,” Marcus claimed.
The worldwide rights for Biden’s book, which has neither a title nor a publication date, have been acquired by a New York-based subsidiary of French publishing giant Hachette, the WSJ said on Thursday.
Neither Hachette, nor the Creative Artists Agency, which represented Biden in the deal, commented on the report. Biden himself dismissed all rumors about his mental state by insisting earlier this month that he was “working like hell” on a “500-page book.”
Biden was the oldest US president ever, ending his tenure at 82. He was dogged by rumors about his physical health and mental acuity during his time in office, but maintained he was fine despite on many occasions appearing to struggle to perform his public duties.
His successor, Donald Trump, accused Biden’s inner circle of “treason at the highest level” in May, saying that they exploited the former president’s cognitive decline to implement policies without his knowledge.
Later the same month, Senator Ron Johnson announced an investigation into an alleged cover-up relating to Biden’s health. The move was prompted by Biden’s revelation that he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer, sparking rumors that the diagnosis had long been known but that Democrats had deliberately kept the public in the dark.
