CNN anchor Jake Tapper disclosed on May 20, 2025 that he had privately apologized to Lara Trump (the wife of Eric Trump) for dismissing her concerns about Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities during a heated interview in 2020 that gained significant attention at the time.
While appearing on Sirius XM’s The Megyn Kelly Show, Tapper expressed “tremendous humility” regarding his previous coverage of the former president, as he promoted his new book, “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.”
The book, co-written with Axios reporter Alex Thompson, explores how Democratic insiders concealed Biden’s declining state from the public, driven largely by apprehension over a potential second Trump administration.
Tapper admitted that Lara Trump noticed something he had overlooked at the time, and he accepted full responsibility during his interview with Kelly.
When questioned by Kelly about whether he had apologized to the president’s daughter-in-law, Tapper explained that he had reached out to her months before to offer his apology. He shared that their discussion was positive and that Lara Trump clarified she did not intend to mock Biden’s stutter.
The CNN anchor explained the timing and context of his apology, noting that after researching for his book and understanding the extent of Biden’s cognitive issues, he contacted Lara Trump to acknowledge her correct assessment.
This acknowledgment comes nearly five years after their October 2020 interaction on CNN’s “State of the Union,” when Tapper abruptly concluded their interview after airing a clip of Trump commenting on Biden’s speech patterns.
In the initial interview, Tapper showed footage of Lara Trump saying about Biden, “Every time he comes on stage and they turn to him, I’m like, ‘Joe, can you get it out. Let’s get the words out, Joe.'”
Tapper accused her of mocking a disability and questioned how such comments might impact children with stutters who might witness them.
At the time, Trump denied any knowledge of Biden’s history with stuttering and stated her remarks were directed at concerns over cognitive issues. During a 2020 interview, she asserted that what was evident on stage with Joe Biden appeared to be a clear decline in cognitive abilities.
Kelly challenged Tapper about his handling of the 2020 interaction, suggesting he had attempted to “humiliate” Mrs. Trump for raising concerns about Biden that Tapper’s own book now confirms.
The disclosure arises amid increased scrutiny of media coverage during Biden’s presidency, with Tapper and Thompson’s book alleging a comprehensive cover-up of the former president’s condition by his inner circle and family.
In their interview with Kelly, the authors mentioned they had spoken with over 200 Democratic insiders after the 2024 election, many of whom admitted to downplaying Biden’s condition due to fears of a potential Trump victory.
Tapper elaborated during the interview that they defended their actions, including how they misrepresented the president’s condition to themselves and to him, by arguing that Donald Trump posed an existential threat and only Joe Biden could defeat him.
According to the book, aides described “two Bidens” — one competent and one visibly impaired. Tapper and Thompson reported that signs of deterioration appeared as early as 2015, following the death of Biden’s son Beau, and worsened amid Hunter Biden’s legal issues.
Kelly’s interview also addressed Tapper’s own role in covering Biden’s presidency, particularly a CNN interview he conducted shortly after a September 2022 incident where Biden publicly asked, “Where’s Jackie?” while searching for Indiana congresswoman Jackie Walorski—who had died in a car crash weeks earlier.
Kelly suggested that Tapper had not questioned Biden about certain instances of mental confusion, and the CNN anchor admitted he had not.
Tapper defended his approach by noting the interview covered significant topics, including foreign policy and the war in Ukraine, but acknowledged in hindsight that he wishes he had been more assertive in questioning Biden’s mental acuity.
Lara Trump, who now serves as co-chair of the Republican National Committee, reignited criticism of her exchange with Tapper last year by posting the 2020 footage alongside screenshots of headlines about media mistrust.
The book release has sparked considerable controversy, with critics accusing Tapper and CNN of hypocrisy for allegedly downplaying Biden’s condition until after he left office. In response to growing criticism, The Daily Beast reported that Tapper and Thompson have hired crisis communications expert Risa Heller to assist with the book rollout.
“Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again” was released on May 20, 2025, and has already reached the top position on Amazon’s bestseller list. The revelations come just days after Biden publicly announced that he has stage four metastatic prostate cancer, further intensifying discussions about transparency during his presidency.
