Aide Discusses Time At The White House

In the corridors of power at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, few unelected figures have cast a longer shadow in recent memory than Anthony Bernal, the first lady’s top aide — and by extension, Jill Biden herself.

According to Original Sin, a new book by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’ Alex Thompson, Bernal’s rise within the Biden White House wasn’t just influential — it was foundational to the entire architecture of President Joe Biden’s inner circle. And the implications, as the book reveals, are staggering.

At the heart of Original Sin is a thesis both provocative and troubling: the Biden administration was not just built on loyalty — it was consumed by it. Bernal, who had unprecedented access to the White House residence (his badge even read “Res”), became the enforcer of what the authors call the "Biden theology." In this new orthodoxy, allegiance to the Biden family — not the presidency, not the Constitution, not even the Democratic Party — was paramount.

“He would not be welcome at my funeral,” one longtime Biden aide confessed to the authors, painting a picture of Bernal not as a behind-the-scenes functionary, but as a palace guard wielding loyalty as both sword and shield. His infamous interrogations — “Are you a Biden person?” — earned him the mocking but deadly serious moniker: the loyalty police.

The book dives deep into the strange dynamics of pandemic-era politics, when Bernal and fellow aide Annie Tomasini embedded themselves into the Bidens’ tight inner circle. This period, as Tapper and Thompson describe, became the crucible in which a new White House power structure was forged — one that blurred the lines between family, governance, and personal ambition.

Bernal, notably, held the title of deputy campaign manager — a position rarely, if ever, granted to a spouse’s staffer. That unusual appointment signaled how dramatically the first lady’s influence had grown.

But as Bernal’s influence swelled, so too did the criticisms. According to the book, fellow staffers often described him as “the worst person they had ever met,” accusing him of trash-talking colleagues and ousting dissenters. And when concerns arose over President Biden’s mental acuity — especially after his heavily scrutinized debate performance in July 2024 — Bernal and Jill Biden reportedly doubled down on re-election, brushing off suggestions of transition or reflection.

It was Bernal, Tapper and Thompson say, who pushed forward with plans for Jill Biden’s international schedule for 2025 even before the 2024 race concluded. “You don’t run for four years — you run for eight,” he reportedly said, dismissing speculation about Vice President Kamala Harris as a potential successor.

But not everyone agrees with the book’s portrayal. A former White House staffer came to Bernal’s defense, calling the book's claims “false” or “exaggerated,” and praising him as a “strong leader” and strategic mentor. Still, that rebuttal hasn’t slowed the media storm circling around the revelations.