Jake Tapper Torched Over Release of Biden Cover-Up Book

CNN anchor Jake Tapper is facing significant backlash following the release of his book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, co-authored with Axios correspondent Alex Thompson. 

The book, published on May 20, 2025, by Penguin Press, details what the authors describe as a concerted effort by Biden’s aides and the Democratic Party to conceal the former president’s cognitive and physical decline during his presidency, particularly during the 2024 election cycle. 

The controversy stems from accusations that Tapper, who now claims to expose this cover-up, was complicit in downplaying or dismissing concerns about Biden’s mental acuity during his time as a journalist, only to profit from the narrative after Biden’s exit from the 2024 race.

Key Points of the Controversy: Original Sin argues that Biden’s decision to run for a second term at age 81 was a critical error, described as his “original sin,” which led to a campaign of “denial and gaslighting” that contributed to the Democrats’ 2024 election loss to Donald Trump.

The book, based on over 200 interviews, includes bombshell claims, such as: 

• Biden’s aides considered using a wheelchair for him in a potential second term due to severe physical deterioration.
• A senior aide admitted to shielding Biden from his own staff to hide the extent of his decline starting in 2023.
• At a June 2024 fundraiser, Biden reportedly failed to recognize George Clooney, a longtime supporter, in a moment that left Clooney “shaken.”
• David Plouffe, a top Kamala Harris campaign aide, criticized Biden’s late withdrawal, stating, “He totally f...ked us,” as it left Harris with a challenging campaign timeline.

Thompson and Tapper

The authors assert that Biden’s debate performance in June 2024, which Tapper co-moderated, was not an anomaly but a reflection of years-long cognitive decline.

Accusations of Hypocrisy: Critics, particularly conservative commentators and social media users on X, accuse Tapper of “rewriting history” by presenting himself as a journalist who consistently raised concerns about Biden’s health, when his past coverage allegedly minimized or dismissed such issues.
Specific examples cited include:In 2020, Tapper rebuked Lara Trump for suggesting Biden showed signs of cognitive decline, emphasizing Biden’s stutter and questioning the impact of such claims on children with similar conditions. He stated, “I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody’s cognitive decline.”

Jake Tapper trying to cash in on the cover-up he viciously participated in is peak journalistic hubris.

Truly stunning. pic.twitter.com/Lt2v4qbpAT

— Bonchie (@bonchieredstate) May 13, 2025

Tapper has maintained that he covered Biden’s age and health concerns for years, citing instances such as:

• A 2022 interview where he asked Biden about his age and the presidency’s demands.
• 2023 segments discussing public polls on Biden’s mental sharpness and questioning White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre about perceptions of Biden’s age.
• A 2024 interview with Biden’s former communications director, Kate Bedingfield, about reported memory lapses.

On Wednesday, during a CNN interview with John Berman, Tapper conceded that some conservative criticism was “fair,” admitting, “I look back at my coverage during the Biden years – and I did cover some of these issues, but not enough.” He acknowledged that while he addressed Biden’s age, he could have been more thorough.