After years of pushing narratives that fueled Trump Derangement Syndrome (TDS) among his viewers, CNN’s Jake Tapper now wants to play the truth-teller with his upcoming book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. Set for release on May 20, the book promises to reveal how Biden’s inner circle concealed his failing health and misled the American public. But for many, the real “original sin” isn’t Biden’s choice to run—it’s Tapper’s own role in manipulating his audience for years.
The Tapper Hypocrisy
For nearly a decade, Tapper positioned himself as an objective journalist, but his coverage of Donald Trump told a different story. Night after night, he peddled misinformation about Russian collusion, insisted democracy was in peril, and mocked anyone who suggested Biden wasn’t mentally fit for office. Now, as Biden’s cognitive struggles are undeniable, Tapper has suddenly decided it’s time to acknowledge what many Americans saw years ago.
According to Axios, Tapper’s book argues that Biden’s decision to run for re-election was the ultimate betrayal of the American people, a campaign built on “gaslighting and denial.” But Tapper himself was one of the key enablers of that very deception. How many CNN viewers dismissed concerns about Biden’s health because Tapper and his colleagues told them it was a “right-wing smear”? How many voters, blinded by years of anti-Trump hysteria, refused to even consider whether they were being sold a lie?
The irony is staggering: the same media figures who scolded Americans for doubting Biden’s competency are now publishing books about how they knew the truth all along.
A Convenient Career Pivot
The timing of Original Sin raises questions about Tapper’s motivations. Is this about holding power to account, or is it about salvaging his own reputation?
According to Publishers Marketplace, the book is based on exclusive conversations with White House staffers, congressional leaders, and cabinet members who were aware of Biden’s decline but remained silent. The book promises to expose how “the highest levels of government” were involved in covering up Biden’s struggles—but isn’t Tapper part of that very system?
For years, Tapper’s network benefited from feeding anti-Trump hysteria to an audience eager for validation. The endless “crisis of democracy” coverage, the breathless fearmongering over Russian interference—these weren’t just mistakes; they were calculated business decisions. Now that Biden’s decline is impossible to ignore, Tapper is pivoting, hoping to position himself as a truth-teller.
But the people who once trusted him aren’t buying it. Axios reports that even some Democrats are frustrated that media figures like Tapper are only now acknowledging what was obvious for years. The White House itself has dismissed concerns about the book, suggesting that Biden’s decision to run again was well within his right. Meanwhile, many former CNN loyalists—who once parroted Tapper’s talking points—are left wondering why they were misled for so long.
The Real ‘Gaslighting and Denial’
If Tapper wants to talk about “gaslighting,” he should start with his own role in shaping public perception. While he now claims Biden’s health was hidden from the public, it wasn’t hidden from everyone. Americans who watched Biden fumble through speeches, forget names, and wander off stage weren’t fooled. The only people who turned a blind eye were those who had been conditioned by Tapper and others in the corporate media to dismiss these concerns as Republican “disinformation.”
Even the book’s description on Amazon acknowledges that Biden’s own family pushed him to run again, believing only he could stop Trump. But that’s not a revelation—it’s just Tapper repeating what conservative media has been saying for years, except now he can profit from it.
The bigger scandal isn’t just that Biden ran again—it’s that the media actively deceived the public to make it possible. If Tapper truly cared about journalistic integrity, he wouldn’t need a book deal to tell the truth.
Too Late for Redemption
Original Sin may make headlines, but it won’t erase Tapper’s legacy as one of the key architects of the legacy media’s credibility crisis. If anything, the book serves as a case study in media manipulation: spend years lying to the public, then pivot when the truth becomes undeniable, pretending you were on the side of honesty all along.
The problem is, Americans aren’t as gullible as Tapper hoped. His audience believed him when he told them Biden was sharp, competent, and ready to lead. Now that the damage is done, he wants to tell the truth? Too little, too late.
Disclaimer:
This article is an opinion piece and reflects the perspective of the author. While sources such as Axios, Publishers Marketplace, and Amazon are referenced to confirm details about the publication of Jake Tapper’s book, the opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the author and do not represent the views of any of the sources mentioned.
This article contains commentary and critique of public figures and media coverage based on publicly available information. It does not make any claims of fact about Jake Tapper. Any discussion of media narratives, bias, or motivations is the author’s analysis and interpretation.
Readers are encouraged to review original sources and form their own conclusions.
