{"id":1909,"date":"2025-11-28T09:59:00","date_gmt":"2025-11-28T05:59:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/?p=1909"},"modified":"2025-11-25T19:23:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-25T15:23:28","slug":"biden-cover-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/hub\/society-culture\/government\/biden-cover-up\/","title":{"rendered":"The Biden Cover-Up: How It Unfolded &amp; What It Reveals"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>During Joe Biden&#8217;s presidency, questions about his mental and physical fitness grew louder\u2014but those closest to him worked hard to keep concerns from reaching the public. In <em>Original Sin<\/em>, Jake Tapper and David Thompson detail how Biden&#8217;s inner circle, family members, and Democratic institutions coordinated to hide his decline, motivated by the belief that only Biden could defeat Trump.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>How did they pull it off? Through controlled access, carefully staged appearances, attacks on critics, and institutional failures that let the deception continue. Keep reading to learn how the alleged Biden cover-up unfolded and what it reveals about power, loyalty, and accountability in American politics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-yoast-seo-table-of-contents yoast-table-of-contents\"><h2>Table of Contents<\/h2><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-biden-cover-up\" data-level=\"2\">The Biden Cover-Up<\/a><ul><li><a href=\"#h-the-inner-circle-decided-to-hide-biden-s-condition\" data-level=\"3\">The Inner Circle Decided to Hide Biden\u2019s Condition<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-the-administration-controlled-what-information-reached-biden\" data-level=\"3\">The Administration Controlled What Information Reached Biden<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-biden-s-team-restricted-access-to-him\" data-level=\"3\">Biden\u2019s Team Restricted Access to Him<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-biden-s-team-attacked-his-critics\" data-level=\"3\">Biden\u2019s Team Attacked His Critics<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-institutional-failures-enabled-the-cover-up\" data-level=\"3\">Institutional Failures Enabled the Cover-Up<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-exercise-recognizing-accountability-failures\" data-level=\"2\">Exercise: Recognizing Accountability Failures<\/a><\/li><li><a href=\"#h-explore-the-cover-up-further\" data-level=\"2\">Explore the Cover-Up Further<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>Image credit: <a href=\"https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/wiki\/File:Joe_Biden_%26_Jill_Biden_@_2018.09.15_Human_Rights_Campaign_National_Dinner,_Washington,_DC_USA_06125_%2844713707781%29.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Wikimedia Commons<\/a>. <a href=\"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by-sa\/2.0\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">License<\/a>. Image cropped.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-biden-cover-up\">The Biden Cover-Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While Biden\u2019s decline was apparent to many who saw it firsthand, Tapper and Thompson argue in their book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/original-sin\/preview\" rel=\"nofollow\">Original Sin<\/a><\/em> that a complex web of motivations and mechanisms kept this reality from reaching the public. According to the authors, <strong>Biden\u2019s deterioration was systematically concealed<\/strong> through the coordinated efforts of his inner circle, family members, and broader Democratic establishment, all of whom had various reasons for maintaining the fiction that he remained fully capable of serving as president. We\u2019ll examine the key players in the Biden cover-up, the specific tactics they used to control information and access, and how they dealt with critics and potential whistleblowers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-inner-circle-decided-to-hide-biden-s-condition\">The Inner Circle Decided to Hide Biden\u2019s Condition<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>At the center of the alleged cover-up was Biden\u2019s inner circle of advisors<\/strong>. Tapper and Thompson explain this group controlled access to the president and shaped the public narrative about his condition. They were united by their loyalty to Biden and their belief in two ideas: that Biden was uniquely capable of defeating Trump, and that any acknowledgment of his limitations would hand the presidency to someone they saw as an existential threat to democracy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Nate Silver argues that Biden framed his campaign around simultaneous existential threats\u2014what experts <a href=\"https:\/\/www.natesilver.net\/p\/why-biden-failed\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">call a \u201cpolycrisis\u201d<\/a>\u2014including the pandemic, the economic crisis, racial injustice, climate change, and attacks on democracy itself. When everything is treated as an existential crisis, it becomes easier to rationalize extreme measures. This aligns with research on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elgaronline.com\/display\/book\/9781803925806\/ch46.xml?tab_body=abstract-copy1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noble cause corruption<\/a>, where people justify unethical actions by believing they serve a greater good, such as preventing catastrophic outcomes. But as Silver notes, this logic can become self-defeating: If everything is an existential threat requiring extraordinary action, then <em>nothing <\/em>is, and institutions lose legitimacy because of the questionable actions they take.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Because of these beliefs, the authors contend, <strong>Biden\u2019s inner circle rationalized increasingly elaborate deceptions and accommodations<\/strong>. They managed his image through careful staging and presentation, had him professionally coached for major speeches, and used special lighting and sound equipment to optimize his appearance. They would sometimes film Biden in slow motion to blur how slowly he actually moved, and they experimented with different microphone setups to amplify his increasingly weak voice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Behaviors that Biden\u2019s advisors worried would be <a href=\"https:\/\/niemanreports.org\/biden-stutter\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">seen as cognitive decline<\/a> could result from his speech disorder. Biden has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.uclahealth.org\/news\/article\/joe-bidens-history-of-stuttering-sheds-light-on-the-condition\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">stuttered since childhood<\/a>, and stuttering often <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2024\/07\/biden-debate-stutter\/678888\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">becomes more pronounced<\/a> with age as the energy needed to manage it increases. Some experts see Biden\u2019s eye blinking, mid-sentence pauses, and word substitutions as consistent with techniques stutterers use to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/magazine\/archive\/2020\/01\/joe-biden-stutter-profile\/602401\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">avoid problematic sounds<\/a>. Normally, <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC3936542\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">speech rate slows with age<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/theconversation.com\/slowed-speech-may-indicate-cognitive-decline-more-accurately-than-forgetting-words-224812\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">pauses between words increase<\/a>, and retrieving specific words becomes more effortful. Yet other experts say Biden\u2019s verbless phrases, problems with suffixes, and loss of formal speech patterns suggest a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/11\/opinion\/biden-speaking-linguist.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">broader deterioration<\/a> that even <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/hollywoods-debate-camp-for-democrats-presidential-practice-advice-806edcd2?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAhtT2ag7a2Oz-uMx2-q--cuGh_5rWSZl2fvWvhzcyjVtAovgbBot7Bu5TR3gNY%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68a1e250&amp;gaa_sig=otJolng9LtZkpm7on38LKCf2Sj583jGwvLvAGyOpuO21XswrJ89vcqktzSaoIpRdzGEOb-Vdr2zLQScGCC1YKw%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Hollywood coaching<\/a> couldn\u2019t hide.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Tapper and Thompson describe how <strong>Biden\u2019s family played crucial enforcement roles in this strategy.<\/strong> First Lady Jill Biden supported her husband\u2019s decision to run for reelection while denying his cognitive and physical deterioration. She wielded influence through her chief of staff, who served as an enforcer of loyalty, silencing dissent and excommunicating anyone who raised questions about Biden\u2019s fitness. The authors\u2019 sources suggest that Jill Biden had become attached to the prominence and recognition that came with being First Lady\u2014including multiple <em>Vogue<\/em> covers and extensive media attention\u2014and was resistant to giving up that status.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Since the 1920s, First Ladies have been featured regularly in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vogue.com\/slideshow\/first-ladies-in-vogue\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">major fashion magazines<\/a> such as <em>Vogue<\/em>. The role has evolved from a largely ceremonial position into one of significant cultural influence: Modern First Ladies don\u2019t just <a href=\"https:\/\/www.townandcountrymag.com\/style\/fashion-trends\/g39676289\/first-lady-fashion-evolution\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">set fashion trends<\/a>\u2014they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gilderlehrman.org\/history-resources\/essays\/first-ladies%E2%80%99-contributions-political-issues-and-national-welfare\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shape political discourse<\/a>, champion causes, and <a href=\"https:\/\/fashionista.com\/2019\/09\/first-lady-fashion-style-evolution-history\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">serve as symbols<\/a> of their husbands\u2019 administrations (<a href=\"https:\/\/www.ebsco.com\/research-starters\/political-science\/first-ladies-and-presidential-campaigns\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">and campaigns<\/a>). They appear on late-night television, social media, and magazine covers, reaching audiences that <a href=\"https:\/\/washingtondc.jhu.edu\/news\/not-fluff-exploring-the-role-of-the-first-lady\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">traditional politicians cannot<\/a>. For most First Ladies\u2014including Jill Biden, who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2021\/09\/07\/1034761692\/jill-biden-is-heading-back-to-the-classroom-as-a-working-first-lady\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">worked as a college professor<\/a>\u2014the transition to this level of prominence and influence would represent a dramatic change in status and platform.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Hunter Biden also played a key role in maintaining the protective narrative. The authors report that <strong>Hunter had a clear personal interest in keeping his father in office<\/strong> as potential protection from his own legal troubles. His recovery from addiction had become closely tied to his father\u2019s political rise, making him invested in Biden\u2019s continued presidency as a form of redemption for the problems he\u2019d caused the family. According to Tapper and Thompson, Hunter would tell his father that Republican attacks were designed to make Hunter relapse into addiction or commit suicide, creating emotional pressure for Biden to continue fighting politically. Hunter helped push aside anyone who questioned his father\u2019s fitness for continued service.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Hunter Biden\u2019s case illustrates what experts characterize as the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yalelawjournal.org\/review\/race-the-academy-and-the-constitution-of-the-war-on-drugs\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arbitrary and unequal nature<\/a> and enforcement of drug laws that Joe Biden helped create as a senator. The 1986 Anti-Drug Abuse Act created a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-64009199\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">100-to-1 sentencing disparity<\/a> between users of crack and powder cocaine. The goal was to target crack, which was associated with Black communities, while treating powder cocaine, used more commonly by white Americans, far more leniently. Hunter Biden\u2019s crack cocaine use represented a departure from this racialized norm. But after receiving <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/article\/hunter-biden-legal-troubles-timeline.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a presidential pardon<\/a> from his father\u2014a protection unavailable to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clasp.org\/blog\/rectifying-past-wrongs-the-biden-administrations-limited-progress-in-drug-decriminalization\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">thousands of Americans<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/reason.com\/2025\/07\/21\/hunter-biden-walks-free-while-this-iowa-man-serves-4-years-for-the-same-crime\/\">serving prison time<\/a> under the same drug laws\u2014Hunter <a href=\"https:\/\/www.motherjones.com\/politics\/2024\/12\/hunter-got-a-pardon-will-drug-war-victims\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">spent no time in prison<\/a>.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-the-administration-controlled-what-information-reached-biden\">The Administration Controlled What Information Reached Biden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tapper and Thompson document <strong>an elaborate system for controlling what information reached Biden and what information about Biden reached others<\/strong>. Biden\u2019s advisors, particularly Mike Donilon, regularly presented him with misleadingly optimistic assessments of his political prospects. The authors report that polling data was consistently spun to suggest Biden was competitive in races where pollsters saw little chance of victory. This information management became so extreme that when a senior Democratic leader told Biden in July 2024 that his pollsters gave him only a 5% chance of winning, Biden responded with surprise, apparently unaware of how dire his situation had become.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Donilon had financial incentives to keep Biden in the race despite the polling data: Donilon was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2025\/08\/01\/us\/politics\/mike-donilon-biden-2024-bonus.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">paid $4 million for his campaign work<\/a> and would have received a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/2025\/07\/31\/donilon-biden-2024-reelection-testimony-congress\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">$4 million bonus<\/a> if Biden won. The Supreme Court\u2019s Citizens United decision made such payments possible by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brennancenter.org\/our-work\/research-reports\/fifteen-years-later-citizens-united-defined-2024-election\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">allowing unlimited spending<\/a> through independent expenditure-only political action committees, also called super PACs, and removing many campaign finance restrictions. While campaigns can compensate staff <a href=\"https:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/how-much-political-campaigns-pay-their-workers-2022-5\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">however they choose<\/a>, and \u201cwin bonuses\u201d aren\u2019t uncommon, the scale of Donilon\u2019s potential payout was extraordinary, and some former Biden aides have argued that Donilon\u2019s financial motive and loyalty to Biden led the party into political disaster.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors also report that <strong>Biden\u2019s team prevented him from taking cognitive tests that might have provided objective evidence of his condition<\/strong>. Despite medical recommendations that people over 65 receive regular cognitive assessments, Biden\u2019s personal physician refused to conduct such tests, arguing that he saw Biden daily and could monitor his condition informally. According to Tapper and Thompson, this decision was part of a broader strategy to avoid creating any official documentation of Biden\u2019s limitations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: According to medical experts, <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC4951865\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cognitive screening should be routine<\/a> for older adults, particularly those in high-stress, high-responsibility positions. Controlled cognitive tests, which measure specific domains such as working memory, processing speed, and executive function, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41598-024-74488-0\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">can identify and document declines<\/a> in functioning that aren\u2019t obvious in everyday conversations. Studies indicate that even subtle cognitive changes\u2014the kind that might not be apparent in routine interactions\u2014can be <a href=\"https:\/\/medicine.washu.edu\/news\/even-very-subtle-cognitive-decline-is-linked-to-stopping-driving\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">significant predictors of functional decline<\/a>. The fact that Biden\u2019s physician argued he could monitor the president\u2019s condition through observation, rather than objective testing, goes against standard medical practice for adults in this age group.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-biden-s-team-restricted-access-to-him\">Biden\u2019s Team Restricted Access to Him<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tapper and Thompson document how <strong>Biden\u2019s team limited access to the president to prevent people from witnessing Biden\u2019s condition firsthand.<\/strong> The authors describe how Cabinet secretaries and senior staff were briefed by the inner circle rather than being allowed to interact directly with Biden. When officials did have direct contact with Biden and expressed concerns about his condition, they were told he was fine and that their observations were mistaken or taken out of context.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: The tension between protecting a leader and maintaining transparency isn\u2019t new to politics\u2014or popular culture. Aaron Sorkin explored this dilemma in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0200276\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><em>The West Wing<\/em><\/a>, where fictional President Josiah Bartlet <a href=\"https:\/\/medium.com\/bouncin-and-behavin-blogs\/president-bidens-health-and-the-west-wing-d44be8582396\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conceals his multiple sclerosis diagnosis<\/a> while running for reelection, and his circle grapples with whether they\u2019ve deceived voters by hiding his condition. Sorkin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/21\/opinion\/biden-west-wing-aaron-sorkin.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">noted the parallels<\/a> with Biden\u2019s situation, but he also argued that if Bartlet\u2019s opponent had posed what his party saw as an existential threat to democracy, he <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2024\/08\/12\/entertainment\/west-wing-creator-says-reasonable-republican-party-seems-implausible-now\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">would have stepped aside<\/a> for whoever had the best chance of defeating that opponent\u2014as he suggested Biden do for Sorkin\u2019s own counterintuitive choice of candidate, Mitt Romney.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Biden\u2019s team also changed the nature of traditionally informal interactions. Teleprompters became essential even for small fundraising events with just 40 or 50 people\u2014situations where politicians traditionally speak extemporaneously. Some donors became uncomfortable when Biden would simply read from prepared remarks and leave without the expected informal conversations. When concerns were raised about these changes, the authors report, they were dismissed as part of a new, more strategic approach to political communication.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Physical access to Biden was also limited<\/strong> through what the authors describe as \u201cprotective choreography.\u201d Staff would walk beside him to catch him if he fell, guide him through events, and ensure he used shorter stairs and more stable pathways. While these measures were ostensibly for his safety, the authors argue they also served to limit spontaneous interactions that might reveal his condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Public Expectations for Presidential Health<\/strong><br><br>Historical precedent suggests that US presidents have long managed serious health conditions with significant accommodations kept from public view. President John F. Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pbs.org\/newshour\/health\/john-f-kennedy-kept-these-medical-struggles-private\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">is one example<\/a>: Despite living with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mayoclinic.org\/diseases-conditions\/addisons-disease\/symptoms-causes\/syc-20350293\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Addison\u2019s disease<\/a>, chronic back pain, and multiple other ailments that required him to take as many as 12 different medications simultaneously, Kennedy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.history.com\/articles\/the-health-problems-jfk-hid-from-the-public\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">projected an image of youthful vitality<\/a> throughout his presidency. His limitations were profound: He often couldn\u2019t bend over to tie his shoes and required help getting up stairs. Yet he maintained his public image through strategic accommodations: careful scheduling, physical supports such as back braces, and controlled public appearances.<br><br>The comparison raises questions about our expectations for presidents\u2019 health (and their public performances of health). In her analysis of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/articles\/1978\/01\/26\/illness-as-metaphor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">illness as metaphor<\/a>, Susan Sontag argues that modern societies have developed powerful cultural narratives about what illness means\u2014not just medically, but morally and politically. When we demand that leaders be perpetually ready for unscripted interactions, we may be imposing an unrealistic standard that forces them to conceal their problems rather than receive reasonable accommodations. Perhaps the real issue isn\u2019t whether people with health limitations can occupy political offices, but whether we can acknowledge those limits while still maintaining effective governance.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-biden-s-team-attacked-his-critics\">Biden\u2019s Team Attacked His Critics<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tapper and Thompson document how, when protective measures failed to prevent concerns about his fitness from emerging, <strong>Biden\u2019s team attacked those who raised questions about his fitness<\/strong>. The authors describe this as a strategy to discredit critics and create disincentives for others to speak out. An example was the treatment of Special Counsel Robert Hur, whose investigation into Biden\u2019s handling of classified documents included observations about his memory and cognitive state. Rather than addressing Hur\u2019s findings, the White House portrayed him as a partisan actor, despite his careful approach to the investigation. This campaign was so effective that Hur was unable to find work for months after his report was released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Hur, a Republican prosecutor appointed by Trump and later selected as special counsel, concluded that Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/news\/daily-comment\/the-impossible-role-of-robert-hur\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">shouldn\u2019t be prosecuted<\/a> for mishandling classified documents, but described him as \u201ca well-meaning, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theatlantic.com\/politics\/archive\/2024\/03\/hur-report-biden-2024-election\/677740\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">elderly man with a poor memory<\/a>\u201d to explain why a jury likely wouldn\u2019t convict him. His report was written for the Attorney General as a legal document, not as a public political statement, but the White House immediately <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/opinion\/robert-hur-house-judiciary-testimony-joe-biden-classified-documents-b7e5f155?gaa_at=eafs&amp;gaa_n=ASWzDAjpZnNhhlSRQ9KoqIRECkLtbPZq1oweZon9gTaRsIx43fHAYvf5sG0iAomeMUY%3D&amp;gaa_ts=68a34bed&amp;gaa_sig=Y59eLXDi0QCO6PzwqcMQy3YCrnaY-ovKWsfha7F0_MwD3F8cHwR1VLY0sKNwSpFrVCntkyHbKGFtLtR0YJY6EQ%3D%3D\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">attacked him as partisan<\/a>, a strategy that drew more media attention to Biden\u2019s mental fitness and created a prolonged news cycle about the president\u2019s age. When transcripts of Hur\u2019s Biden interview were released, they largely supported his characterizations, undermining the White House\u2019s credibility.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors also document how <strong>journalists who reported on Biden\u2019s age or raised questions about his fitness were subjected to harsh criticism <\/strong>from the administration and its allies<strong>.<\/strong> Reporters were accused of advancing Republican talking points or promoting ageist stereotypes. The administration used the concept of \u201ccheapfakes\u201d\u2014misleadingly edited videos\u2014to dismiss any unflattering footage of Biden, even when the full context didn\u2019t change the concerning nature of his behavior.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: \u201cCheapfakes\u201d are a form of media <a href=\"https:\/\/datasociety.net\/library\/deepfakes-and-cheap-fakes\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">used to spread disinformation<\/a>. \u201cCheapfakes\u201d take footage out of context, speed it up, slow it down, or manipulate it with easily accessible software, as opposed to \u201cdeepfakes,\u201d which use AI tools to alter videos and fabricate a false representation of a person or event. Tapper and Thompson don\u2019t report any claims from the White House that deepfakes were used against Biden\u2014only cheapfakes.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Democratic politicians who raised concerns faced similar treatment<\/strong>. The authors describe how Representative Dean Phillips of Minnesota, who attempted to challenge Biden in the primary partly due to concerns about Biden\u2019s fitness, was systematically marginalized and kept off the ballots in various states. When other Democrats privately expressed concerns, they were told they were essentially helping Trump and undermining the party\u2019s chances of preventing an authoritarian takeover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Jon Stewart <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/jon-stewart-daily-show-joe-biden-age-memory-1875863\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">experienced intense backlash<\/a> from Democrats in early 2024 for <a href=\"https:\/\/thehill.com\/homenews\/media\/4478443-stewart-defends-critique-of-bidens-age\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">joking about Biden\u2019s age<\/a>. Dean Phillips <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/opinion-why-democrats-owe-dean-142950915.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">faced similar treatment<\/a> when he mounted a primary challenge partly due to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.reuters.com\/world\/us\/biden-challenger-phillips-new-hampshire-calls-biden-weak-unelectable-2024-01-21\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">concerns about Biden\u2019s fitness<\/a>. Stewart later argued that the institutional pressure to stay silent created a cover-up that ultimately failed because everyone was aware of Biden\u2019s condition\u2014polls consistently showed that a majority of voters thought Biden was too old to run again. When Tapper and Thompson\u2019s book was released, Stewart criticized them for waiting until after the election to report this information, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.yahoo.com\/news\/jon-stewart-tears-jake-tapper-044407396.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">arguing it was \u201cweird\u201d<\/a> for journalists to sell books about news \u201cthey should have told you was news <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/culture\/2025\/may\/20\/jon-stewart-cnn-biden-book\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">a year ago, for free<\/a>.\u201d)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-institutional-failures-enabled-the-cover-up\">Institutional Failures Enabled the Cover-Up<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Tapper and Thompson argue that <strong>broader institutional failures let the cover-up continue<\/strong>. For example, the Democratic National Committee (DNC) changed primary rules in ways that benefited Biden, moving South Carolina to the first position on the primary calendar. While this was ostensibly done to elevate Black voters, the authors report that DNC officials admitted the main motivation was helping Biden, since South Carolina was one of his stronger states.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-table\"><table class=\"has-fixed-layout\"><tbody><tr><td><strong>Understanding the DNC\u2019s Nomination Process<\/strong><br><br>The Democratic Party had multiple pathways to replace Biden as the nominee, but the party\u2019s post-1968 reforms to its nomination process made using these pathways politically difficult, if not practically impossible. When voters participate in Democratic primaries\u2014a series of state-level elections the party holds <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usa.gov\/primaries-caucuses\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">six to nine months before a general election<\/a>\u2014they\u2019re not directly voting for a presidential candidate. Instead, they\u2019re <a href=\"https:\/\/time.com\/7000785\/democratic-party-nomination-process-history\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">voting for delegates<\/a> (party activists, local officials, and committed supporters) who pledge to support that candidate at the convention. Before the 1970s, this system worked differently: Party leaders controlled the selection of delegates, and only about 38% of delegates were chosen by primaries.<br><br>This system emerged from the chaos of the 1968 election, when anti-war candidate Eugene McCarthy won 39% of primary votes but Vice President Hubert Humphrey secured the nomination by working behind the scenes with party leaders. The disconnect outraged activists, so the party created new rules requiring delegates to \u201cfairly reflect\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/articles\/are-convention-delegates-bound-to-their-presidential-candidate\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">preferences of primary voters<\/a>, rather than those of the party leaders. In the decades following these reforms, the proportion of delegates chosen by binding primaries more than doubled, from 40% in 1968 to 94% by 2020. However, party rules still <em>technically<\/em> allow for nominee changes should the need arise.<br><br>In 2024, Biden <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2024\/07\/13\/opinion\/joe-biden-democrats-convention.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">was just the <em>presumptive<\/em> nominee<\/a> until delegates voted at the convention, and delegates remained \u201cpledged, not bound\u201d to their candidate, a loophole for <a href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.com\/news\/magazine\/2024\/07\/13\/how-biden-could-be-replaced-at-democratic-convention-00167907\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">extraordinary circumstances<\/a>. But using this loophole would have required thousands of delegates to revolt against a sitting president from their own party. The DNC\u2019s talking points at the time suggested it wouldn\u2019t have been possible to replace Biden, even though party rules <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/politics\/2024-election\/biden-team-suggests-can-no-alternative-dnc-rules-provide-path-rcna160092\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">provided clear rules<\/a> for replacing a nominee and ensuring an orderly transition in the event a replacement was necessary. Ultimately, the reforms designed to democratize the party left leadership without a realistic way to manage a fitness crisis when it arose.<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors suggest this institutional failure extended to Congress, where <strong>Democratic leadership remained silent about Biden\u2019s condition<\/strong>. They argue that senators and representatives who had witnessed Biden\u2019s decline firsthand chose party loyalty over their constitutional obligation to provide oversight of the executive branch. According to Tapper and Thompson, this combination of active deception by Biden\u2019s inner circle and passive enablement by Democratic institutions created a system that kept the truth about Biden\u2019s condition from reaching the public until it was too late to prevent the political disaster that followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: Congressional Democrats\u2019 silence about Biden\u2019s condition reflects a pattern where many Americans <a href=\"https:\/\/news.yale.edu\/2020\/08\/11\/study-americans-prize-party-loyalty-over-democratic-principles\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">prioritize party loyalty<\/a> over democratic principles, choosing to defend their political in-group even when doing so <a href=\"https:\/\/pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/articles\/PMC9342595\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">conflicts with their values<\/a>. Neuroscientist Leor Zmigrod\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/the-ideological-brain\" rel=\"nofollow\"><em>The Ideological Brain<\/em><\/a> reveals why this happens: When we adopt strong ideological positions, our brains shift activity away from regions responsible for complex decision-making toward areas that govern emotional responses. This impairs our ability to process evidence effectively and recognize errors in our reasoning, helping explain why even lawmakers who\u2019d witnessed Biden\u2019s limitations struggled to question their loyalty to him.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The authors also describe how <strong>the media, despite some critical coverage, failed to investigate Biden\u2019s condition thoroughly.<\/strong> This failure was partly due to access restrictions\u2014Biden conducted fewer interviews and press conferences than any other recent president\u2014but also due to a culture that made questioning his fitness seem inappropriate or partisan. Liberal media figures and Democratic politicians created an environment where even legitimate journalistic inquiry was discouraged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>(Shortform note: It\u2019s a long-held tenet of journalism that a democracy <a href=\"https:\/\/cs.stanford.edu\/people\/eroberts\/cs181\/projects\/2010-11\/Journalism\/index7f0d.html?page_id=16\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">requires informed citizens<\/a> to function properly, and in this, the press serves two functions. First, it provides people with information they wouldn\u2019t otherwise have. Second, the possibility of press scrutiny changes how officials behave. There\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.laphamsquarterly.org\/roundtable\/myth-fourth-estate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ongoing debate<\/a> about how dramatic the press\u2019s impact on public opinion is, yet this may miss the point: Journalism\u2019s proponents argue that the press\u2019s power lies less in changing how people think about an issue and more in bringing information to light and creating the structural pressure that keeps officials accountable.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-exercise-recognizing-accountability-failures\">Exercise: Recognizing Accountability Failures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Tapper and Thompson argue that multiple institutions\u2014the media, Democratic Party leadership, and government oversight\u2014failed to fulfill their democratic responsibilities regarding Biden\u2019s fitness for office. Think about the various institutions and roles that are supposed to provide checks and balances in democratic systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>What specific responsibilities do you think different groups (media, political parties, voters, and so on) have in ensuring leaders are fit for office? How should these responsibilities be balanced?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you see potential problems with leaders in your community, workplace, or political system, what prevents you from speaking up? What would need to change to make accountability more likely?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>How can citizens better distinguish between legitimate concerns about leadership and partisan attacks? What standards should guide these evaluations?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-explore-the-cover-up-further\">Explore the Cover-Up Further<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>To learn more about the Biden cover-up in its broader context, read Shortform&#8217;s comprehensive guide to the book <em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/app\/book\/original-sin\/preview\" rel=\"nofollow\">Original Sin<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The book Original Sin details the Biden cover-up. Learn how the president&#8217;s inner circle, family, and party institutions hid his decline.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":1916,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,26],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1909","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-government","category-history"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v24.3 (Yoast SEO v24.3) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>The Biden Cover-Up: How It Unfolded &amp; What It Reveals - Shortform Hub<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The book Original Sin details the Biden cover-up. 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