It’s time to call it like it is: the mainstream media didn’t miss Joe Biden’s cognitive decline—they ignored it. Worse, they actively covered it up, gaslighting the American people while shaming anyone who dared to raise a legitimate concern about the mental fitness of the President of the United States.
Now, with Biden’s presidency in shambles and the Democratic Party still trying to pick up the pieces after his catastrophic June 2024 debate performance, we’re being treated to a parade of mea culpas from so-called journalists like Chris Cillizza and Chuck Todd. These guys are suddenly having their “come to Jesus” moments, admitting that they saw the signs and heard the whispers but just couldn’t quite bring themselves to do their jobs.
Cillizza’s YouTube confessional is especially galling. Here’s the former CNN editor-at-large, a man who built his brand on smug political analysis, now sitting in front of a camera and saying, “I should have pushed harder.” He even admits that White House aides used the “age-shaming” excuse to shut down questions about Biden’s cognitive state—and he let them.
But let’s be clear: this isn’t an apology. It’s damage control. Cillizza isn’t sorry he failed to do his job; he’s sorry the cover-up didn’t work. He’s sorry that Biden’s decline became so painfully obvious on a national debate stage that no amount of media spin could hide it. And he’s especially sorry that the Democrats weren’t able to swap Biden out for a more viable candidate before the entire country realized the emperor had no clothes.
Former CNN Contributor apologizes for covering for Democrats by not covering Joe Biden’s mental decline:
Chris Cillizza: “As a reporter, I have a confession to make. I should have pushed harder earlier for more information about Joe Biden’s mental and physical well-being and any… pic.twitter.com/5XFBGlndRq— Eric Abbenante (@EricAbbenante) December 19, 2024
Here’s what Cillizza conveniently leaves out of his little confession: he wasn’t just passively avoiding tough questions about Biden—he was actively mocking and dismissing those who did. When Republicans, conservative commentators, or even independent journalists dared to point out Biden’s repeated mental lapses, Cillizza and his ilk would roll their eyes, use words like “cheap fakes” and “bad-faith attacks,” and pretend like the whole thing was just partisan noise.
The same goes for Chuck Todd. This guy practically led the Sunday morning “nothing to see here” brigade on NBC, brushing off concerns as right-wing smears. Now, Todd is doing his own revisionist history tour, admitting that, yes, he had heard concerns from senior officials about Biden’s mental state—but he didn’t report on them.
Why didn’t he report on them? Because the media decided, collectively, that protecting Biden was more important than informing the American public. They decided that keeping Trump out of office was a moral imperative, even if it meant lying by omission, twisting facts, and smearing anyone who asked uncomfortable questions.
And let’s not let the New York Times off the hook either. The “paper of record” knew. The Washington Post knew. Every major media outlet knew. They were told by insiders, they saw the same footage we all saw, and they heard the same anecdotes about Biden needing constant guidance from aides, forgetting critical details, and losing track of conversations mid-sentence.
Yet they chose silence. Worse—they chose complicity.
Why? Because they believed they could drag Biden over the finish line one more time. They were willing to prop him up, Weekend-at-Bernie’s style, if it meant keeping Donald Trump out of the Oval Office.
But reality has a funny way of catching up. You can’t hide a failing presidency forever. You can’t spin your way out of a moment like the June 2024 debate, where Biden froze, stumbled, and delivered incoherent answers in front of tens of millions of viewers.
And now, here we are—with Chris Cillizza and Chuck Todd desperately trying to rewrite history, hoping their crocodile tears and carefully worded apologies will make us forget their role in this fiasco.
Some context here.
Spring 2021: Biden officials cancel his national security meetings based on whether he’s having a “good day” or a “bad day” (WSJ)
August 2021: Cillizza CNN analysis says GOP questions about Biden’s fitness are “gross, lowest-common-denominator politics” https://t.co/oYGRleDDPv pic.twitter.com/HDNW7vSH00
— Peter J. Hasson (@peterjhasson) December 19, 2024
But we won’t forget. Because this wasn’t just a failure of journalism—it was a betrayal of the public trust.
The media’s job isn’t to protect politicians—it’s to hold them accountable. It’s to ask the uncomfortable questions, demand straight answers, and report the truth even when it’s inconvenient or unpopular.
Cillizza, Todd, and their colleagues failed on every level. And their sudden contrition isn’t about integrity—it’s about self-preservation.
So no, apologies not accepted. They don’t get to pat themselves on the back for “finally telling the truth” after years of running cover. They don’t get to act shocked and surprised when the consequences of their cover-up become undeniable.
The media knew. They all knew. And they made a choice—a choice to protect their political favorites instead of protecting the truth.
That’s not journalism. That’s activism. And the American people deserve better.
