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There is significant debate among journalists and commentators regarding the accuracy of press coverage of President Biden’s age and mental fitness, with no single consensus view [6]. One perspective, primarily articulated in Franklin Foer’s book Original Sin, argues that the press largely failed to report on a significant decline that was actively concealed by the White House [2, 7]. A competing view contends that the press reported extensively on the available evidence of Biden’s age and gaffes, and that the failure, if any, lay with the Democratic establishment for ignoring these reports [4, 5].
The central claim of those who believe the press coverage was insufficient is that President Biden’s staff and inner circle created a protective “cocoon” to hide his faltering state from the public [1, 6]. Franklin Foer’s book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, is the most prominent articulation of this view. Foer argues that Biden’s mental decline is not a right-wing fabrication but a reality observed by those who work with him [2, 7]. According to this perspective, the White House engaged in a “conspiracy to conceal the truth” by severely limiting Biden’s unscripted interactions with journalists, holding few press conferences, and carefully managing his public appearances to project an image of vitality that did not match the private reality [1, 5].
The New York Times detailed how this protective strategy worked in practice, with aides often interjecting, ending conversations, or speaking on the president’s behalf when he seemed to lose his train of thought [1]. Foer asserts that by not breaking through this protective barrier more forcefully, the press failed in its duty to inform voters about the president’s fitness for office, calling the cover-up a “crime against the American people” [2, 7].
A contrasting viewpoint holds that the notion of a “hidden decline” is overstated and that the press, in fact, covered the issue extensively. These commentators argue that Biden’s age, his verbal stumbles, and his stiff gait were frequent subjects of media reports [4, 5].
Jonathan Chait, writing in Persuasion, forcefully rejects the idea of a press failure. He argues that the media “did its job” by relentlessly reporting on Biden’s age and the risks it posed. The problem, in his view, was not a lack of coverage but that the Democratic “Politburo”—the party’s establishment and inner circle—chose to ignore the clear and public warnings present in that very coverage [5].
Similarly, Matthew Yglesias in Slow Boring critiques Foer’s book, arguing that it does not reveal a secret, severe decline but rather repackages well-known and publicly reported observations [4]. Yglesias contends that what the public has seen—an elderly man who is prone to gaffes but still capable of functioning as president—is the reality, not a carefully constructed facade hiding a more serious condition. From this perspective, the press accurately captured the available public evidence, and claims of a deeper, hidden decline remain unsubstantiated [4].
A third, more nuanced perspective acknowledges elements from both sides. This view, articulated in The New Yorker, suggests that a combination of factors led to the current state of coverage. The White House did create a “bubble” that made in-depth reporting difficult, limiting the press’s ability to assess the president’s condition beyond staged events [1, 6].
However, this perspective also notes that journalists operated in a difficult political environment. There was a palpable fear among some in the media that focusing too heavily on Biden’s age and fitness would inadvertently aid the election of Donald Trump, leading to a degree of caution or self-censorship [6]. Furthermore, the issue became highly politicized, with supporters of the president dismissing any negative coverage as a partisan attack and opponents exaggerating every stumble. This dynamic made it difficult for straightforward reporting to be received objectively by the public [6]. Ultimately, this view suggests that blame is not easily assigned to a single group but is shared among a White House that limited access, a press corps that may have been overly cautious, and a public divided by partisan loyalties [6].