Tapper: ‘We Had All Seen Evidence of Decline’ from Biden, I Should Have Been ‘More Aggressive’

Kelly The new book ░░░░░░░░ Sin President Biden s ░░░░░░░░ Its Cover up and ░░░░░░░░ Disastrous Choice to Run ░░░░░░░░ it recounts the story ░░░░░░░░ a president who struggled ░░░░░░░░ remember the names of ░░░░░░░░ advisers who lacked physical ░░░░░░░░ who was insulated from ░░░░░░░░ and fellow Democrats for ░░░░░░░░ The book is out ░░░░░░░░ week the same week ░░░░░░░░ Biden told the world ░░░░░░░░ has been diagnosed with ░░░░░░░░ 4 prostate cancer That ░░░░░░░░ underscores a question at ░░░░░░░░ heart of the reporting ░░░░░░░░ Original Sin was Biden ░░░░░░░░ old and too frail ░░░░░░░░ run Another question the ░░░░░░░░ explores did some of ░░░░░░░░ s closest aides aides ░░░░░░░░ Steve Ricchetti and Mike ░░░░░░░░ cover up his decline ░░░░░░░░ is something our co ░░░░░░░░ Scott Detrow discussed with ░░░░░░░░ Sin authors Jake Tapper ░░░░░░░░ CNN and Alex Thompson ░░░░░░░░ Axios DETROW Alex what ░░░░░░░░ you was the moment ░░░░░░░░ most alarmed you as ░░░░░░░░ person who lives in ░░░░░░░░ United States as you ░░░░░░░░ reporting and learning these ░░░░░░░░ about the things that ░░░░░░░░ happening behind the scene ░░░░░░░░ I was interviewing a ░░░░░░░░ Biden aide and they ░░░░░░░░ quoted in the book ░░░░░░░░ saying I m paraphrasing ░░░░░░░░ all he had to ░░░░░░░░ was win then he ░░░░░░░░ have disappeared for the ░░░░░░░░ four years and only ░░░░░░░░ to occasionally show proof ░░░░░░░░ life When you re ░░░░░░░░ a president I think ░░░░░░░░ know that they re ░░░░░░░░ electing the people around ░░░░░░░░ And that was DETROW ░░░░░░░░ was their justification Thompson ░░░░░░░░ was their justification for ░░░░░░░░ were they basically were ░░░░░░░░ yeah he s like ░░░░░░░░ trouble But like the ░░░░░░░░ of Donald Trump which ░░░░░░░░ think they felt very ░░░░░░░░ about was so great ░░░░░░░░ they were justifying in ░░░░░░░░ ways undemocratic actions TAPPER ░░░░░░░░ These are the same ░░░░░░░░ who say hey nobody ░░░░░░░░ Elon Musk Well no ░░░░░░░░ elected Donilon and Ricchetti ░░░░░░░░ yet we have a ░░░░░░░░ secretary telling us that ░░░░░░░░ Ricchetti and Donilon would ░░░░░░░░ decisions without about the ░░░░░░░░ without even talking to ░░░░░░░░ Yellen during the period ░░░░░░░░ they cut off the ░░░░░░░░ DETROW You talked to ░░░░░░░░ lot of anonymous sources ░░░░░░░░ this book Did anybody ░░░░░░░░ not speaking out Or ░░░░░░░░ it this is the ░░░░░░░░ I saw but it ░░░░░░░░ career suicide to say ░░░░░░░░ he couldn t run ░░░░░░░░ another term so in ░░░░░░░░ I wouldn t say ░░░░░░░░ Thompson If not regret ░░░░░░░░ lot of soul searching ░░░░░░░░ what could I have ░░░░░░░░ differently You know one ░░░░░░░░ sort of put to ░░░░░░░░ this way was like ░░░░░░░░ many options were there ░░░░░░░░ they could have gone ░░░░░░░░ but would that have ░░░░░░░░ Joe Biden s mind ░░░░░░░░ not And then it ░░░░░░░░ have just helped Donald ░░░░░░░░ DETROW Yeah Thompson Now ░░░░░░░░ one thing that I ░░░░░░░░ people are mad about ░░░░░░░░ the inner circle especially ░░░░░░░░ t do the ones ░░░░░░░░ knew better is you ░░░░░░░░ t necessarily have to ░░░░░░░░ public but why not ░░░░░░░░ him I haven t ░░░░░░░░ someone give a good ░░░░░░░░ DETROW And who confronted ░░░░░░░░ Secretary of State Blinken ░░░░░░░░ confronted him TAPPER Yes ░░░░░░░░ was just he had ░░░░░░░░ meeting with he had ░░░░░░░░ lunch with him in ░░░░░░░░ in which he basically ░░░░░░░░ like you know you ░░░░░░░░ to think about how ░░░░░░░░ you re going to ░░░░░░░░ in the second term ░░░░░░░░ know do you think ░░░░░░░░ can handle it Of ░░░░░░░░ Biden does And it ░░░░░░░░ kind of just dropped ░░░░░░░░ know I think everybody ░░░░░░░░ that circle in that ░░░░░░░░ should be thinking I ░░░░░░░░ certainly thinking as a ░░░░░░░░ what should I have ░░░░░░░░ differently DETROW Yeah TAPPER ░░░░░░░░ know Alex and I ░░░░░░░░ this Alex very aggressively ░░░░░░░░ the White House beat ░░░░░░░░ less so And I ░░░░░░░░ I had been more ░░░░░░░░ I there are there ░░░░░░░░ a lot of regret ░░░░░░░░ s a lot of ░░░░░░░░ DETROW I want to ░░░░░░░░ this interview the way ░░░░░░░░ start the book that ░░░░░░░░ morning after the election ░░░░░░░░ Biden woke up convinced ░░░░░░░░ could have won TAPPER ░░░░░░░░ still thinks that He ░░░░░░░░ thinks he could have ░░░░░░░░ He went on The ░░░░░░░░ to prebutt this book ░░░░░░░░ think and he was ░░░░░░░░ about that And he ░░░░░░░░ well look I still ░░░░░░░░ 7 million more votes ░░░░░░░░ Donald Trump Now he ░░░░░░░░ talking about the 2020 ░░░░░░░░ And the truth of ░░░░░░░░ matter is I have ░░░░░░░░ to his pollsters more ░░░░░░░░ he ever has and ░░░░░░░░ did not think that ░░░░░░░░ Chuck Schumer when Chuck ░░░░░░░░ finally has the conversation ░░░░░░░░ Biden in which he ░░░░░░░░ that he thinks Biden ░░░░░░░░ drop out he says ░░░░░░░░ ve talked to your ░░░░░░░░ they give you a ░░░░░░░░ percent chance of winning ░░░░░░░░ Biden did not know ░░░░░░░░ because all the polling ░░░░░░░░ interpreted through the spinmeisters ░░░░░░░░ him Donilon and Ricchetti ░░░░░░░░ Biden s shocked to ░░░░░░░░ that When I talked ░░░░░░░░ one of the pollsters ░░░░░░░░ that story 5 percent ░░░░░░░░ said it was probably ░░░░░░░░ like 1 percent DETROW ░░░░░░░░ s Jake Tapper and ░░░░░░░░ Thompson Their new book ░░░░░░░░ Original Sin President Biden ░░░░░░░░ Decline Its Cover up ░░░░░░░░ His Disastrous Choice To ░░░░░░░░ Again Thanks for talking ░░░░░░░░ us Thompson Thanks TAPPER ░░░░░░░░ you DETROW In response ░░░░░░░░ Original Sin a Biden ░░░░░░░░ told NPR that they ░░░░░░░░ have not reviewed the ░░░░░░░░ and the authors did ░░░░░░░░ fact check the book ░░░░░░░░ us despite that being ░░░░░░░░ common practice to do ░░░░░░░░