CNN’s Jake Tapper said on Wednesday there was “not enough” media coverage of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline during his presidency, including from himself.
Tapper made the comment during a morning appearance on his own network, in an interview with colleague John Berman; he was on to discuss “Original Sin,” the new book he co-authored with Axios reporter Alex Thompson that looks at Biden’s physical and mental health while he was in office.
Berman asked Tapper what he thinks of “conservatives criticizing you and the media” for failing to report on Biden’s apparent impairment at the time.
“I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest. Of me, certainly,” Tapper replied. “I’m not going to speak for anybody else, but knowing then what I know now, I look back at my coverage during the Biden years — and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough — I look back on it with humility.”
Tapper and Thompson have been on a media tour this week to promote their book, which is set to be released on May 20. One “Original Sin” revelation that grabbed headlines was that Biden’s aides were considering if he would need a wheelchair if he was reelected in 2024. Another Democratic strategist told the authors that Biden “totally f–ked us” by staying in the race too long, giving Kamala Harris no chance of beating Donald Trump.
Some on X and elsewhere have further criticized Tapper for publishing the book after he ridiculed those who have questioned Biden’s mental acuity in recent years. One notable example features a clip of Tapper ripping Lara Trump in 2020 for saying Biden was dealing with a “cognitive decline.”
“I think you were mocking his stutter and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody’s cognitive decline,” he told her.
On Wednesday morning, Tapper said his reporting showed there were “two Bidens” in the White House. One version of the president who was “workable, serviceable,” and another who was “non-functioning” who could not remember the name of aides or celebrity supporters like George Clooney. Tapper also said he and Thompson learned most of this after the 2024 election from “democratic insiders and operatives” — and what he heard “stunned” and “shocked” him.
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