Biden's "Big Lie"

After the 2016 and 2020 elections, there was no shortage of tell-all books about what went on during Trump’s first presidency. These insider accounts offered juicy details and behind-the-scenes drama—much of it important—but all competing for attention amid the constant firehose of Trump-related news. To the casual observer, it sometimes felt like some journalists were more interested in cashing in on their exclusive access than in upholding the credibility of the fourth estate by not informing the public. Not a dig on all journalist, because I’m unashamedly very supportive of the work journalist do.

So when I heard a book was coming out about the Biden White House and the former president’s obvious cognitive decline, I figured this was just the new normal: journalists getting inside scoops and holding onto them for a book deal, or major outlets choosing to look the other way because of political bias. And to some extent, this book reinforces that impression. But what sets it apart is this: it doesn’t just reveal dysfunction or poor decision-making in hindsight—it shows, in real time and vivid detail, how a small, insulated group ignored growing concerns, silenced dissent, and ultimately propped up a candidate who was no longer fit for the job. The result? Biden didn’t just stay in the race—he all but guaranteed a second Trump term. And that, more than any political misstep, feels like the ultimate betrayal from someone who claimed democracy was on the ballot. Because now, thanks to that decision, it still is.

The book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, written by Jake Tapper (CNN) and Alex Thompson (Axios), contains all the tesserae for this mosaic of madness that gaslit most Democrats. Republicans were already sounding the alarm, but after the “2020 election was stolen” fiasco, they had very little credibility, but maybe we should’ve been listening to them anyways. Regardless of how you feel about Tapper, Thompson, or the media outlets they represent, it’s worth noting a few things. Tapper has publicly admitted he dropped the ball on this story—and even called Lara Trump to say she was right and he was wrong (referring to when he accused her of mocking Biden’s stutter). Thompson, to his credit, was one of the few reporters consistently covering concerns about Biden’s health. And then there’s James Rosen from Newsmax, who’s been asking