Jake Tapper’s CNN Show Hits Ratings Low

In May 2025, CNN’s The Lead with Jake Tapper recorded its lowest-rated month in nearly a decade, despite Jake Tapper’s high-profile promotional tour for his new book. Co-authored with Axios reporter Alex Thompson, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again was released amid significant media attention. 

The book, which alleges a Biden White House cover-up regarding the former president’s fitness for office, fueled intense news coverage.

Tapper’s extensive book tour included appearances on podcasts, talk shows, and cable news, with heavy promotion across CNN’s platforms. However, the increased visibility failed to translate into viewership gains for The Lead. From April 28 to May 25, the show averaged just 525,000 total viewers, a 25% drop from the same period in 2024, marking Tapper’s worst performance since August 2015.

In contrast, Fox News’ The Five and Special Report with Bret Baier dominated the timeslot with 3.3 million viewers, capturing 68% of the cable news audience share. MSNBC also outperformed Tapper, averaging slightly over 1 million viewers and securing a 21% share, while The Lead managed only 11%. 

The stark ratings gap underscores a challenging period for Tapper and CNN, despite the book’s role in shaping recent political discourse.