In a recent confrontation on her podcast, Megyn Kelly delivered a scathing critique of CNN journalist Jake Tapper’s handling of President Biden’s cognitive decline during the lead-up to the 2024 election. The exchange came as Tapper promoted his new book detailing Biden’s mental unfitness for office – a stark reversal from his previous position defending the president’s capabilities.
Kelly, known for her direct approach and growing podcast audience, methodically dismantled Tapper’s credibility during their interview. She highlighted how Tapper and CNN had failed to adequately cover Biden’s concerning public appearances, including incidents of falling, getting lost, and struggling with coherent speech.
The former Fox News anchor particularly focused on Tapper’s failure to pursue the story when other outlets, notably The Wall Street Journal, had successfully reported on Biden’s declining mental state. When Tapper attempted to praise WSJ reporters Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes for their coverage, Kelly pointed out that he only featured their reporting after a crucial debate, having earlier allowed Democrats to dismiss their work as a “Murdoch sponsored hit piece.”
Throughout the interview, Tapper’s attempts to defend his journalistic integrity met with fierce resistance from Kelly. When he claimed poor connections with the Biden White House, Kelly countered by noting his access to over 200 sources for his book – though Tapper admitted these came forward only after the election.
The confrontation reached its peak when Kelly delivered a devastating assessment: “One of us didn’t miss the biggest story of the century when it comes to presidential politics, and one of us did.” She proceeded to list the numerous red flags Tapper had ignored, including Biden’s stair stumbles, speech issues, and disorientation on the White House grounds.
Rather than offering a straightforward apology for his previous coverage, Tapper’s defensive posturing and attempts to justify his actions appeared to further damage his credibility with viewers. The interview, intended as part of a comeback tour promoting his book, instead highlighted the continuing fallout from his role in what Kelly termed “an attempted cover-up” of Biden’s cognitive decline.
The exchange exemplified the broader media landscape’s reckoning with its coverage of Biden’s presidency, particularly following Trump’s decisive victory over Kamala Harris in the 2024 election. While some journalists, like Chris Cuomo, have managed to rebuild their reputations through direct engagement with critics, Tapper’s appearance on Kelly’s podcast demonstrated the challenges faced by mainstream media figures who previously defended Biden’s competency.
Kelly’s systematic breakdown of Tapper’s journalistic failures resonated particularly strongly given her reputation for objective analysis and willingness to challenge both conservative and liberal narratives. The interview served as a powerful reminder of the media’s responsibility to report accurately on presidential fitness for office, regardless of political implications.
The confrontation highlighted not just Tapper’s personal credibility crisis but also the broader implications of mainstream media’s reluctance to thoroughly investigate and report on Biden’s declining cognitive state during his presidency. As Kelly effectively
demonstrated, the failure to pursue this crucial story represented a significant lapse in journalistic duty, one that continues to impact public trust in traditional media outlets.