The revelations about Joe Biden show how journalists make themselves the story – and how they supported a web of lies

When authors give a tell-all book biblical titles, it usually says more about their own motives than about the subject matter. This is also the case with the much-discussed work by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson: "Hubris," the deadly sin of pride, is emblazoned on the cover of the German edition; "Original Sin," nothing less than the original sin, is what the English-language original promises to reveal. However, the two authors are miscast as judges—their own glass house collapsed long ago.

The two accuse the former president of hubris, claiming that it was Joe Biden's re-election. The decision itself is original sin, the original sin, which continued in the cover-up of Biden's mental and physical deterioration—US public radio still adds an "alleged" to this.

In over three hundred pages, drawn from two hundred interviews with mostly anonymous "insiders," the authors explore how the president's strength and thus his resilience diminished, how more and more party colleagues, members of the administration, and donors became concerned about him and the Democrats' electoral prospects. And how, at the same time, President Biden became increasingly shielded.

His chief of staff and other advisors, who were barely known even to the politically interested public, controlled the flow of information to the president—in keeping with their nickname, the "Politburo"—and, together with confidants of the First Lady, ensured that the PR damage from his sometimes questionable appearances was minimized. According to the authors, the court proceedings against Hunter Biden, in particular, must have affected the president in a similar way to the death of his eldest son Beau, in whom he considered his successor.

Tapper and Thompson's verdict is as black and white as the book's cover: Biden and his inner circle are to blame for the Democrats' election defeat. Even after the disastrous televised debate against Donald J. Trump, they tried to blame his lapses on illness and cling to his candidacy. It took a personal meeting with then-Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, who told the president how his prospects stood: Only five out of fifty Democratic senators still supported him unconditionally; poll data predicted a crushing defeat.

Biden, a man of the Senate, respected the verdict of his allies: One week after the conversation, he withdrew his candidacy, paving the way for Kamala Harris. Too late, Tapper and Thompson rightly judge—but they wrongly argue that a Democratic election victory would have been inevitable under different circumstances: Even if another candidate had been able to enter the race earlier, the legacy of the "Biden economy" and the loss of the Democratic electoral coalition would have been a heavy burden.

In any case, the two authors fail to even ask the truly important questions, let alone answer them. After the disastrous debate and the failed attempt at redress with a TV interview, the world knew that the president's cognitive decline was not a malicious (Republican) slander, but a fact.

"Hubris" now replays encounter after encounter, appearance after appearance, tracing the circle of complicity and the process of decay. We learn that the president ate dinner as early as 4:30 p.m., that he had to handle all important matters between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., and that he barely met with his cabinet by 2024. Only one thing remains unclear: the extent to which President Joe Biden even performed his governmental duties himself.

Just a year ago, this question would have placed one in the vicinity of conspiracy theorists. But the image of a president who seemed barely able to cope with meetings and who was left ignorant even of his poll numbers must raise doubts about whether he was capable of fulfilling his office beyond his role as a communicator. The American public has been repeatedly deceived about the health of its presidents in the past, but never since the cover-up of Woodrow Wilson's stroke has such a devastating picture been revealed in retrospect.

In light of President Trump's attack on the administrative state, many at the beginning of his term – almost echoing the historian Timothy Snyder – wrote of a "coup from within." Those who read "Hubris," however, wonder whether the term might be more appropriate for the previous administration: "When you vote for someone, you also vote for the people around them," is how an anonymous source justified their turning a blind eye to the authors. While Biden's effectiveness declined, the power of the "Politburo" allegedly grew; the chief of staff was even referred to internally as "Prime Minister." And the cabinet members, the vice president? Did they even exploit the president's weakness?

These questions would likely undermine the authors' simplistic black-and-white approach, which Jake Tapper, in particular, continues to maintain regarding the Trump administration. It's somewhat cynical that CNN's figurehead, of all people, wants to expose Biden's arrogance without even questioning his own hubris and that of his own profession.

Tapper has repeatedly harshly condemned those who questioned Biden's mental and physical health. His critics often cite the argument with Lara Trump, whom Tapper interviewed in 2020 as her father-in-law's campaign manager. When Trump brought up Biden's cognitive decline, Tapper rudely interrupted her and accused her of conspiracy theories. Whenever CNN commentators felt compelled to address the president's health or Republican criticisms of his mental health, they followed lines of argument that Tapper and Thompson now tell us were endorsed by the White House.

Now Tapper and Thompson seem to want to apologize in order to regain what they lost with the Biden presidency: their dominant position in the discourse and their moral superiority. After all, who can still accuse others of fake news when they themselves have become its instrument, failed to follow up, and failed to research it? Who can accuse the incumbent president of lying when he himself has propped up a web of lies?

But anyone looking for self-criticism between the covers of "Hybris" will be disappointed. Instead, Tapper allows his own broadcaster to celebrate his revelations and uses his platform to shamelessly promote himself. His book thus unintentionally becomes a lesson in the original sin of personalization in journalism – the journalist makes himself the story and waits to disseminate his findings until he finds the most financially lucrative format.

It is precisely in the always-ridiculed alternative media that Tapper is forced to engage in some self-reflection. Megyn Kelly, a former Fox News host and now a successful podcaster, confronted him about his past statements about Biden's health. He responded that he should indeed be humble, as conservative media outlets had been more attentive than he had been – but he had never lied, he had only been lied to. His insight doesn't extend beyond that. All that remains is the hope of a quick bite into the apple from the tree of knowledge.

Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson: Hubris. Decay, Cover-up, and Joe Biden's Fatal Decision. Deutscher Taschenbuch-Verlag, Munich 2025. 400 pp., Fr. 39.90.