A new book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper has ignited fierce criticism from liberals and media observers who accuse him of profiting from a narrative he once helped downplay: President Joe Biden’s mental and physical decline during his final year in office.
The book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, co-authored with Axios journalist Alex Thompson, alleges that Biden’s inner circle, including his family and top aides, orchestrated a comprehensive effort to obscure the president’s deteriorating condition from the public, donors and even members of his own cabinet.
The claims have reverberated across the political spectrum, stirring both indignation and introspection within the Democratic Party.
Newsweek reached out for comment from Tapper via his publisher and CNN on Friday.
Why It Matters
Democrats’ loss in 2024 has been partly blamed on Joe Biden’s decision to seek re-election, despite widespread concerns about his age and health. He ultimately dropped out in July last summer, leaving the party scrambling to rally behind former Vice President Kamala Harris as the new candidate.
Biden’s shaky performance during the June 27 debate convinced many Americans he was no longer fit to run. It sparked serious doubts about his health, leadership ability, and whether fellow Democrats had tried to cover up his condition. Biden allies deny accusations of a cover-up, and reject allegations that he suffered from cognitive decline.
What To Know
Tapper’s new book on Biden’s cognitive decline was expected to draw ire from the political right, but the most heated backlash has come from the other direction—liberals who once viewed the CNN anchor as an ally.
“Hey @jaketapper, is there any timeline for reporting on Donald Trump’s clear pattern of cognitive deterioration?” asked LGBTQ+ advocate Charlotte Clymer. “I figured you’d be a great person to ask given that you’ve done so much research and reporting on this area of medicine.”
John Pavlovitz, a progressive Christian author and activist, added bluntly on a separate X post: “I think we need to talk about Jake Tapper’s decline.”
Joanne Carducci, known as @JoJoFromJerz to her more than one million followers, accused Tapper of cashing in on false equivalencies: “It’s almost as if Jake figured it would be more financially lucrative to write about the out-of-office guy who he blames for helping elect a rapist traitor felon than it would be to write about the actual in-office rapist traitor felon.”
Writer and MSNBC contributor Wajahat Ali called Tapper’s project an indictment of the broader media’s priorities: “Jake Tapper’s New Book on Biden Reveals How Corporate Media is Failing America. While the Trump Administration is galloping towards fascism… corporate media remain complicit cowards by focusing on Joe Biden’s age.”
These posts, widely shared and endorsed across X, form the core of the criticism: that Tapper is now profiting from revelations he failed to seriously investigate or elevate when it mattered. The New York Post described him as a “hypocrite” and Fox News hosts labeled his book an effort to “rewrite history” while ignoring his own role in shielding Biden during the campaign.
Tapper has defended his record, noting during his book promotion on CNN that “the White House was lying, not only to the press, not only to the public, but they were lying to members of their own Cabinet.” He added that many Democratic sources only began speaking candidly after Biden exited the 2024 race.
What People Are Saying
CNN anchor Jake Tapper, in a statement announcing his new book: “Toni Morrison once said ‘If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.’ That’s what inspired this book: we wanted to know more about what we all just lived through. More than 200 interviews later, Alex and I have a much better idea. And soon you all will too.”
Penguin Press, the publisher of Tapper’s upcoming book, in a press release: “What you will learn makes President Biden’s decision to run for reelection seem shockingly narcissistic, self-delusional, and reckless—a desperate bet that went bust—and part of a larger act of extended public deception that has few precedents.”
What Happens Next
Tapper’s book is set to be released on May 20.
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