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Biden's Decline: 'Partisan Hit Job' and 'Comically Weak' Before the Debate, Admissions After

In the months before the June 27, 2024 debate, reports of President Biden's decline were attacked as partisan or weakly sourced. After the debate forced him from the race, reporters, including CNN's Jake Tapper, conceded the press had not pushed hard enough.

Jun 27, 2024
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Whose side it served: Democrats

Treating decline reports as partisan protected a sitting Democratic president's reelection bid.

What the record shows

Special counsel Robert Hur's February 2024 report described Biden as a 'well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,' and the administration called it a partisan hit job. In early June 2024, the Wall Street Journal reported that 'Behind Closed Doors, Biden Shows Signs of Slipping'; Media Matters called that story 'comically weak.' Biden's debate performance on June 27 was widely described as a disaster, and he withdrew on July 21, 2024. In August 2024 the Washington Post editorial board wrote that his inner circle had 'worked to conceal his decline.' In May 2025, Tapper and Axios's Alex Thompson published 'Original Sin,' which alleges a systematic cover-up. CNN's Hadas Gold reported on July 2, 2024 that several White House reporters acknowledged the press corps 'did suffer from a bit of lack of curiosity.' On May 14, 2025, Tapper said on CNN that coverage of Biden's decline, including his own, was 'not enough,' adding 'some of the criticism is fair.' Former CNN commentator Chris Cillizza apologized in December 2024 for not pushing hard enough.

In their words

“Jake Tapper, CNN, May 14, 2025: "I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest. Of me, certainly."”— · source
“Anonymous White House reporter to CNN, July 2024: "most of the White House press, did suffer from a bit of lack of curiosity."”— · source
The other side

Biden's age was not ignored: Media Matters counted 588 cable mentions of Biden's age versus 72 for Trump's in one week of April-May 2023, and a February 2024 poll found 86% of voters concerned. The failure was in reporting on what happened behind closed doors, not in discussing age.

Sources

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