CNN’s Jake Tapper is facing ridicule for penning a book about the ‘cover-up’ surrounding Joe Biden’s health despite claims he and his network did the same.
‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,’ by Tapper and CNN contributor Alex Thompson, provides an in-depth look at the former president’s ‘serious decline’ and cover-up.
It was announced Wednesday morning, by the the book’s publisher Penguin Press.
Within hours, onlookers were expressing ire toward CNN and airing accusations of hypocrisy – as the network advertised the looming May release.
Commenters under CNN’s own story claimed the station had been ‘complicit in the fraud’, as other singled out Tapper specifically.
Others derisively mocked the State of the Union host, framing his book as a shameless attempt at deflection.
One reader typed how Tapper ‘needs to go’, weeks after a senior CNN staffer told DailyMail.com the network had laid off 200 of its staff because it had become inundated with workers who do the bare minimum.
All honed in on the mainstream media Tapper and Thompson said they had successfully unmasked, while seemingly ignoring the pair’s part in the reporting.
Tapper, 55, notably moderated the June 2024 debate that sparked Biden’s decision to bow out.
CNN’s Jake Tapper is facing ridicule for penning a book about the progressive ‘cover-up’ surrounding the decline in Joe Biden’s health. Tapper, seen here reporting on Trump’s second term this month, was met with the marked response via comments on CNN’s website
The book, set to release in May, provides what’s being put as an ‘in-depth look’ at the former president’s ‘serious decline.’ The then-president is seen here during his July debate against Donald Trump in Atlanta, Georgia, which Tapper himself moderated
‘The hopelessly corrupt leftist media, like CNN, was complicit in the fraud. Where is the penalty?,’ wrote one CNN user, after the Warner Discovery-owned website launched a paywall that charges users $3.99 per month in October.
‘Can the Dem self-proclaimed stewards of democracy tell us what unelected person was lurking in the shadows actually exercising the powers of the presidency?’ they asked, pointing to an even deeper conspiracy.
‘So now that “cat is out of the bag” [after] Tapper decides to write a book about it,’ someone else sniped.
‘I wonder if he will include himself and all of the other “news reporters” in the cover-up.
‘Most people could see the decline in Biden, and didn’t go on air to tell millions of viewers that the emperor did have clothes on, when we could see the naked truth,’ they continued, echoing the opinions of countless others aired during the buildup to Biden’s bowing out.
‘Tapper needs to go.’
‘This is rich,’ another griped. ‘Tapper (and the rest of the media and democrats) are SHOCKED to find that Biden was in decline[,] [b]ut is nothing but an attempt to deflect criticism from them for not doing their jobs and lying to the public.
‘What’s even more rich is that the platform they had their puppet president run on was to save Democracy,’ they went on.
The cover of ‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,’ is seen here. It argues that Biden, ‘his family, and his senior aides’ as ‘so convinced that only he could beat Trump again, they lied to themselves, allies, and the public’
‘So, propping up a candidate who was clearly in mental decline… so that the democrats could stay in power is saving Democracy? That’s rich.’
‘What is the point of this, except to make the writers money?’ another chimed in. ‘No respect for Tapper.’
‘Most of the media ignored Biden’s decline and didn’t investigate till after the debate,’ a final user remarked.
‘I’m not a Fox News fan but to their credit they were pointing it out for some time.’
A synopsis for the book provided in a press release, meanwhile, described the liberal-led plot. It frames Biden, ‘his family, and his senior aides’ as ‘so convinced that only he could beat Trump again, they lied to themselves, allies, and the public.’
‘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,’ Penguin stated while announcing the book.’
The publisher further framed the attempt – fueled by coverage that likely aired on legacy stations like ABC, NBC, and CBS – as ‘part of a larger act of extended public deception that has few precedents.’
Tapper – who also moderated a 2020 debate between the then-candidates – added in a separate statement, in which he quoted Nobel Prize winning novelist Toni Morrison.
Following the book’s announcement, claimed the station had been ‘complicit in the fraud’, as other singled out Tapper specifically. Others derisively mocked the State of the Union host, framing his book as a shameless attempt at deflection
The book is being co-authored by frequent CNN contributor Alex Thompson, who gave time to accounts from White House staffers insisting the president was fine
‘”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,’ the Lead With Jake Tapper host said. ‘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,’ he said, talking up the book’s sourcing.
‘And soon you all will too.’
The statement was delivered a little more than six months removed from the Atlanta debate that Tapper moderated, which led to accusations that CNN’s lead Washington anchor took it easy on the president.
One segment in particular sparked such accusations, after Tapper appeared to cut the 81-year-old off in the midst of a rambling, nonsensical answer – one of several later cited after the Democrats’ abrupt turnaround to opting for Kamala Harris.
‘We’d be able to wipe out his debt,’ Biden said at the time of sums incurred by Trump-era tax cuts he said ‘benefited the very wealthy.’
‘We’d be able to help make sure all those things we need to do: child care, elder care, making sure that we continue to strengthen our health care system,’ he continued, stumbling at times over his words.
Pictured, the presidential debate at CNN Studios on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia, after which Biden was bombarded with bipartisan calls to drop out of the race
Tapper himself released a statement touting the book, a little more than six months removed from the Atlanta debate that he moderated alongside Dana Bash. It immediately led to accusations that CNN’s lead Washington anchor took it easy on the president.
One segment in particular sparked such accusations, after Tapper appeared to cut the 81-year-old off in the midst of a rambling, nonsensical answer – one of several later cited after the Democrats’ abrupt turnaround to opting for Kamala Harris
‘Making sure that we’re able to make every single solitary person eligible for what I’ve been able to do with the… with the COVID, excuse me, with um, dealing with everything we have to with, uh,’ he went on, languishing at this point.
‘Look, if we finally beat Medicare…’
He proceeded to fully trail off.
The silence that ensued – and the overall moment – went on to live in infamy, after Tapper’s timely interjection.
‘Thank you President Biden – President Trump?’
Within days – thanks an array of other viral flubs during the make-or-break faceoff – Biden was bombarded with bipartisan calls to drop out.
He eventually did, albeit reluctantly, after several weeks.
That said, Tapper was one of few left-leaning hosts to call attention to Biden’s seemingly waning health in the months leading up the debate, while talents like Thompson gave time to accounts from White House staffers insisting the president was fine.
Tapper, moreover, cut off Lara Trump during a tense interview that aired on State of the Union in 2020, during an conversation about the candidate’s ‘cognitive decline.’
The host – who was reportedly just denied a raise – had just aired a clip of Trump’s daughter-in-law criticizing Biden’s tendency to stutter, calling it evidence of ‘cognitive decline’
‘I’m like “Joe, can ya get it out, let’s get the words out, Joe,” You kinda feel bad for him,’ she said – leading Tapper to chide her and point out previous reporting surrounding Biden overcoming a stutter on his path to becoming a senator.
