Tapper & Thompson On The Biden Cover-up

10 snips

May 30, 2025

Guest

Alex Thompson

Guest

Jake Tapper

Jake Tapper, CNN's lead DC anchor, and Alex Thompson, Axios' national political correspondent, dive deep into the tumultuous world of the Biden family. They discuss Joe Biden's apparent cognitive decline and the dynamic between him and Hunter, marked by addiction and secrecy. The conversation touches on the cover-up of Biden's struggles, his political decisions influenced by personal crises, and the loyalty issues among his aides. They also explore how these family dynamics could impact Biden's re-election campaign and the media's role in shaping public perception.

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INSIGHT

Joe Biden's Fear and Control by Hunter

Joe Biden fears Hunter relapsing or committing suicide and often yields to his demands.
Hunter manipulates this fear, bullying Biden into decisions like publicly supporting controversial family relationships.

INSIGHT

Biden Family Protects Hunter

The Biden family exhibited a "family versus the world" mentality, excusing inappropriate behavior to protect Hunter Biden.
Hunter's addiction was shielded, even at the expense of other family relationships and public honesty.

ANECDOTE

Biden Family Unaware of Laptop Details

The Biden family underestimated the extent of evidence on Hunter's laptop, leading to an unprepared response.
The Democratic National Committee secretly obtained the laptop's hard drive to brace the Bidens for forthcoming revelations.

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This is a free preview of a paid episode. To hear more, visit andrewsullivan.substack.com

Jake Tapper is the lead DC anchor and chief Washington correspondent for CNN, whose books include The Outpost, The Hellfire Club, and The Devil May Dance. Alex Thompson is a national political correspondent for Axios and a political analyst for CNN. They just published Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again.

For two clips of our convo — on the deep dysfunction of the Biden family, and the blame Jill deserves for concealing Joe’s decline — head to our YouTube page.

Other topics: Alex leaving the Mormon Church after his dad’s ex-communication and a loss of faith; the cult-like loyalty of Biden’s aides; hiding Beau’s cancer; Hunter’s profound addiction; dating Beau’s widow and getting her on crack too; his emotional blackmailing of Joe; his influence peddling; his infamous laptop; Ashley Biden’s rehab and relapse; the Kennedys; the Bidens’ rift with the Obamas; Joe’s bitterness over Barack backing Hillary in 2016; the first signs of cognitive decline; the Covid election and razor-thin victory; his moderate campaign followed by a radical left agenda in office; Ron Klain’s woke influence; Mike Donilon’s greed and propaganda; “Jim Crow 2.0”; Joe preoccupied with foreign policy; inflation and Larry Summers; Jill addicted to the glamor of the White House; their disowning of a granddaughter born out of wedlock; Joe’s hubris and selfishness to run again; his delusions over polling; his disastrous debate; sticking with Kamala and sticking it to the Dems; the pillorying of Robert Hur; the media’s complicity in hiding Joe’s decline; the dissent of George Clooney, Ari Emanuel, and Dean Phillips; and the Bidens paving the way for Trump 2.0.

Browse the Dishcast archive for an episode you might enjoy (the first 102 are free in their entirety — subscribe to get everything else). Coming up: Chris Matthews — who just revived “Hardball” on Substack, Robert Merry on President McKinley, Tara Zahra on the revolt against globalization after WWI, Walter Isaacson on Ben Franklin, Arthur C. Brooks on the science of happiness, Paul Elie on crypto-religion in ‘80s pop culture, and Johann Hari coming back to kibbitz for his fourth appearance on the pod. Please send any guest recs, dissents, and other comments to dish@andrewsullivan.com.