Luke Ford

Mark Halperin:
The reason I spend so much time talking about this is because I care about the media. I want two strong political parties in America. Most people trying to hold the media accountable for what I call the biggest media scandal in American history—the coverage of Joe Biden’s cognitive decline—are on the right.

Jason Miller, who works for President Trump, tweets about this often, highlighting the lack of credibility on this issue. Byron York of the conservative Washington Examiner wrote this morning, “Understanding the press’s handling of then-President Joe Biden’s obvious physical and mental infirmity is probably more a matter for psychologists than media analysts.” There’s some truth there because understanding why the media continues to fail does involve human nature and psychology.

Erick Erickson, another conservative, wrote in his newsletter: “Now that Joe Biden has lost, the truth can be told, except for the press’s own complicity in the cover-up.” I couldn’t agree more. People in the media writing about this book now ignore the media’s own role, which is a vital part of what happened. Erickson also writes: “Had Biden somehow gotten reelected, the press would still deny his decline.” That’s an incredible statement—but true.

If Fox News had treated a Republican president’s decline like MSNBC, CNN, the New York Times, or the Washington Post treated Biden’s, Brian Stelter at CNN, Oliver Darcy, and other media critics would demand accountability. But the press gives MSNBC a pass because progressives protect progressives. That’s the view on the right, and it’s correct. The media still covers up their failures to expose what tens of millions of Americans saw clearly: Biden’s decline. Why? They wanted to protect Biden and prevent Trump from winning, they’re biased toward Democrats generally, and they were intimidated by Biden’s team not to report on it.

The press failed before, and it’s failing again. This week is a missed opportunity. Read the New York Times, Washington Post, or watch liberal cable news. They’re not holding themselves accountable for their failure.

What’s happening now isn’t just Jake Tapper’s failure. We’ll talk about him because he co-wrote the book, but he’s representative of my colleagues’ mindset, which is to blame Biden and other Democrats for not speaking out. A few Democrats, like Congressman Ro Khanna, have been honest enough to say, “I didn’t see Biden’s decline privately, but it was obvious publicly, and Democrats should have insisted he step down.” But that’s rare.

So, we have the media blaming Biden and other Democrats. Democratic officials blame Biden for running. Biden’s team blames the press and Democrats. It’s a circle of blame. I understand it’s human nature to blame others rather than admitting years of systemic failure. But blaming others prevents reflection. I’m asking Democrats, and especially my colleagues in the media, to reflect.

Let’s talk about Jake Tapper. Until recently, Tapper and his publisher claimed Jake was one of the hard-charging reporters trying to uncover Biden’s cognitive decline. We discussed previously how easily that could be disproven. He didn’t bring up the topic, clearly not aggressively. Ironically, his co-author Alex Thompson is one of the few reporters who actually did.

Tapper’s new strategy this week has two parts, neither about true accountability. First, he’s shifting from saying, “I was on the front lines,” to “Maybe I could have done better.” Here’s Jake Tapper on CNN Wednesday morning:

Jake Tapper (clip):
I think some of the criticism is fair, to be honest—of me. Certainly not speaking for anyone else. Knowing now what I know, looking back at my Biden coverage, I did cover some of these issues, but not enough. I look back with humility.

Mark Halperin:
The second part of Tapper’s strategy is to cling to those who actually did good work—like his co-author Alex Thompson. Also, he’s aligning himself with Wall Street Journal reporters who wrote one of the few articles about Biden’s cognitive decline during the campaign. I’m glad they wrote the story, but frankly, it was weak—mostly quoting Republicans, not Democrats, and with relatively mild examples compared to what we all saw publicly.

Here’s Tapper this week embracing those Wall Street Journal reporters, calling them heroes:

Jake Tapper (clip):
Joining me now are two heroic reporters who intensely covered this during the Biden years—Annie Linskey and Siobhan Hughes from the Wall Street Journal. They reported last June, quote: “Behind closed doors, Biden shows signs of slipping… The White House said Biden’s critics were playing partisan politics.” This isn’t the first time you’ve been here. Your journalism was vital, and the Democrats’ smear campaign against you two was disgraceful.

Mark Halperin:
Tapper’s right that Democrats attacked those reporters unfairly, denying what was clearly visible to everyone. Biden’s decline wasn’t a secret—you didn’t need private meetings to notice it. It was obvious, despite Biden’s limited schedule and avoidance of press conferences.

But here’s what’s incredible: when the Wall Street Journal published that story in June 2024, before the critical debate, Tapper didn’t celebrate their heroism. Instead, he brought Senator Chris Coons, a Biden ally, on CNN and allowed Coons to dismiss the story almost unchallenged.

Here’s Jake Tapper last June with Chris Coons:

Jake Tapper (clip):
The Journal interviewed 45 people who attended or were briefed on Biden meetings, noting criticism mostly from Republicans, but some Democrats anonymously expressed concern. Have you heard from anyone concerned Biden might be a little slower?

Sen. Chris Coons (clip):
No, none. Is President Biden up to the job? Absolutely. Have colleagues expressed concerns about the character difference between him and Trump? Absolutely. Concerns about Trump versus Biden? Absolutely. I don’t hear much coverage of Trump’s similar slips or mishaps. There’s relentless focus by some media on minor slips by Biden, typical for someone with a demanding 14-hour-a-day schedule.

Mark Halperin:
Again, you must allow guests to speak, but if Tapper truly believed those Journal reporters were heroic, he should’ve pushed back harder, challenged the Biden spin, and defended the reporters. But he didn’t. He didn’t invite Republicans or independent voters to support the Journal’s reporting. Instead, he let Biden’s strongest defender dismiss the story entirely.

Mark Halperin:

This week, a few things happened that made me angry, annoyed, and frustrated. After 2016, when the press inadvertently helped Donald Trump win by covering him so unfairly, I urged people to think through the mistakes. The same happened in 2020, and again in 2024 when Trump won, ironically, aided by a liberal press determined to stop him.

Trump should be covered tough, aggressively—but fairly. Today, two prominent instances highlight the media’s clear anti-Trump, anti-MAGA bias. But what really prompted me was a conversation with someone outside the media—what journalists call a civilian. I was at a kid’s birthday party this weekend, talking with another dad who’s not involved in journalism or politics. He asked me what civilians often do: “Why is the media so biased? Do media people realize they’re biased?”

That’s hard to answer. When I talk to my colleagues, they make excuses, saying, “Well, we’re biased towards controversy,” and so forth. It’s true Trump sometimes isn’t scrutinized enough on certain issues. But if you don’t like Trump and think the press goes easy on him, you should want the dominant media’s credibility restored. That requires acknowledging past mistakes, thinking how to improve, and then actually changing. This week, I saw no soul-searching or acknowledgment.

A striking example happened over the weekend when Senator Cory Booker spoke to California Democrats. To acknowledge the crowd, Booker clutched his heart emotionally and then raised his right arm. Normally, I’d consider this gesture innocent enthusiasm. But last year, Elon Musk made exactly the same gesture—hand on heart, raised arm—and faced days of media outrage accusing him of a Nazi salute. Here’s the Vox headline at the time: “Elon Musk Doesn’t Deserve the Benefit of the Doubt—Nazi Trolling Exposes Collapse of America’s Guardrails.”

It was absurd then—ridiculous to suggest Musk sent secret Nazi signals—but because Musk supported Trump, he faced intense accusations. Yet this week, when Cory Booker did exactly the same thing, conservatives pointed out the hypocrisy on social media, but mainstream outlets ignored it completely.

Forbes asked Booker’s spokesperson why Booker’s identical gesture caused no controversy. She responded: “Booker was obviously just waving. Anyone comparing it to Musk is operating in bad faith. The differences are obvious to anyone without an agenda.”

That’s 17 Pinocchios. Watch the gestures side-by-side: Booker and Musk both clutch their hearts and raise their arms identically. Neither intended a Nazi salute. But one (Musk), associated with Trump, faced massive controversy; the other (Booker), a Democrat, nothing. It’s a perfect example of unfair media bias.

Another egregious media failure this week involves the man in Colorado accused of firebombing demonstrators rallying for the Israeli hostages in Gaza. Clearly, the anti-Semitic nature of the attack was heavily covered, as it should have been. But most media ignored a critical fact: the accused attacker was in the United States illegally.

You can debate whether Biden or Trump bears responsibility for his illegal status. Regardless, this is another case where media largely ignored the immigration angle. Listen to how it was covered:

News clips:

“Suspect faces attempted murder and hate crime charges for firebombing demonstrators.”

“Hate crime charges for using a makeshift flamethrower—an attack planned for over a year.”

“Our hearts go out to the victims of the targeted terror attack in Boulder. At least eight were injured.”

Mark Halperin:
All true—but nowhere highlighting that, for many Americans, the critical outrage is that the attacker was here illegally. Trump spotlighted crimes by illegal immigrants in 2015 and 2016, but the media ignored the victims’ families. They weren’t featured on “The View” or profiled sympathetically in the press. Yet, for tens of millions of Americans, crimes by illegal immigrants are the most devastating example of an open border.

Some claim illegal immigrants commit crimes at lower rates. Maybe, maybe not—but that’s irrelevant. Even one victim is too many. It’s not unfair or stigmatizing to highlight illegal status; what’s unfair is media coverage refusing to acknowledge this issue matters deeply to millions of Americans.

Yes, some coverage mentioned his illegal status, but not nearly enough. It should have been front and center alongside the anti-Semitic nature of the attack.

Mark Halperin:
Another thing I talked about with the civilian was CBS News and 60 Minutes, which are front and center in the press’s failure to acknowledge past errors. It’s ironic now to hear people from CBS portray themselves as defenders of the First Amendment and journalism integrity. Recently, the president of CBS News and the head of 60 Minutes resigned in protest over CBS’s parent company possibly settling with Donald Trump, paying him to acknowledge wrongdoing over something that ironically wasn’t even wrong. CBS needs to settle to avoid interference from the Trump administration as they try to sell the company.

What Trump’s upset about, in this particular instance, wasn’t liberal bias—it was that CBS edited Kamala Harris’s answers in a 60 Minutes segment to make her sound clearer. That’s just standard TV editing, not bias. Still, CBS executives are right to protest the settlement but fail to acknowledge their own history of bias.

For instance, something most people probably forgot: in 2020, Trump did a 60 Minutes interview with Lesley Stahl, where Trump brought up Hunter Biden’s laptop. CBS didn’t highlight this exchange, but it was incredibly revealing. Stahl was indignant when Trump tried to discuss the laptop because at the time, as you recall, the media was collaborating with Democrats to label it as Russian disinformation. Listen to Trump’s exchange with Lesley Stahl:

Donald Trump (clip):
I think it’s one of the biggest scandals I’ve ever seen, and you don’t cover it.

Lesley Stahl (clip):
Well, because it can’t be verified.

Trump:
Of course it can be verified.

Stahl:
It can’t be verified.

Trump:
What can’t be verified?

Stahl:
The laptop.

Trump:
Why do you say that?

Stahl:
Because even the family hasn’t—

Trump:
The family on the laptop—he’s gone into hiding for five days. He’s gone into hiding.

Stahl:
He’s preparing for your debate.

Trump:
Oh, it’s taken him five days to prepare? I doubt it. I doubt it.

Mark Halperin:
Trump can’t prove it, but many conservatives believe that if the laptop had been covered—not for Hunter’s embarrassing photos but for what it showed about Biden Inc.—without censorship from social media, mainstream media, and Democrats, Trump might have won. I don’t know if that’s provable, but many believe it.

Yet, here was Lesley Stahl, a senior correspondent for 60 Minutes, not investigating the laptop, but instead arguing like a DNC spokesperson, claiming, “You can’t verify it.” CBS has never, to my knowledge, acknowledged this professional failure, nor explained how this could happen. Unless the press acknowledges past failures, people won’t believe them when they hold Trump accountable now.

Here’s another 60 Minutes moment—Scott Pelley’s recent graduation speech, implicitly criticizing Trump. Listen closely: every single issue Pelley worries about under Trump, conservatives say occurred under Biden. Here’s Scott Pelley:

Scott Pelley (clip):
But in this moment, this morning, our sacred rule of law is under attack. Journalism is under attack. Universities are under attack. Freedom of speech is under attack. An insidious fear is reaching through our schools, businesses, homes, into our private thoughts—the fear to speak. The Wake Forest class of 1861 didn’t choose their time; the class of 1941 didn’t choose; the class of 1968 didn’t choose. History chose them. Now, history calls you, the class of 2025.

Mark Halperin:
To be clear, Scott Pelley’s concerns about Trump are legitimate and worth debating. But ignoring that all these concerns—free speech, the rule of law—also occurred under the Biden administration tells millions of Americans the press won’t hold Democrats accountable to the same standards. CBS correspondents would never give a commencement speech like that during a Democratic administration. They should reconsider how they covered the Hunter Biden laptop and Biden’s mental decline.

Yet, even now, with Jake Tapper’s and Alex Thompson’s book out, the media keeps asking Democrats the wrong question: “Did you privately see Biden’s cognitive decline?” Stop asking Democrats that question. They’re never going to confess. The right question is: “Since you saw Biden’s decline publicly, why didn’t you do anything about it?” And ask yourselves in the media: “What role did we play in covering it up?”

Here’s Bill Clinton interviewed by CBS News about Biden, again asked the wrong question:

CBS Interviewer (clip):
Did you ever have a moment where you thought maybe Biden was unfit to run?

Bill Clinton (clip):
No, I thought he was a good president. The only concern was could anybody do that job until they were 86. We’d had several talks; I never walked away thinking, “He can’t do this anymore.” He was always on top of his brief.

Mark Halperin:
Maybe privately Biden was sharp around Clinton, but Bill Clinton watches C-SPAN. He saw what everyone else saw. Again, stop asking Democrats if they saw decline privately—ask why they ignored what we all saw publicly.

If the media wants credibility back, stop trying to run out the clock, avoiding admitting your massive failure. They’re calling this the “biggest scandal in American media history,” yet the media blames only a few Biden aides and other Democrats, ignoring their own role.

This is why the civilian I spoke with is turning to programs like this one—something I appreciate. How can you trust a news organization to cover Trump tough but fairly when they covered the previous administration with their heads in the sand, simply to avoid helping Trump win, and were intimidated by Biden’s team? Unless they come clean about what went wrong, and explain how they’ll do better, it’s appalling.

People must demand explanations from news organizations if they want our attention, subscriptions, and business. Lesley Stahl never owned up to the laptop fiasco. Scott Pelley never addressed the abuses under Biden’s administration. And until they do, trust won’t return.

Mark Halperin:
I’ve looked at a lot of news coverage since this started, and I want to show you two news reports that echo what we saw after George Floyd around the country, including cities like Portland, Oregon, where the media minimized violence, property destruction, and threats to law enforcement.

Here’s the first one:

Reporter (clip A1):
Demonstrations have been going on right outside the federal detention center. Most were very peaceful—chanting, shouting, honking horns, expressing anger about the detention of immigrants. Most of the evening, federal agents stayed inside the building. But at one point, demonstrators got very close, went onto the property, tagged the building, banged on fences. Shortly afterward, agents started firing tear gas, and then they came out.

Mark Halperin:
Again, the tone suggests it’s law enforcement’s fault for responding.

Here’s another report:

Reporter (clip A2):
With a large group of people, it could turn volatile if law enforcement moves in the wrong way and turns a bunch of people just having fun watching cars burn into a massive confrontation between officers and demonstrators.

Mark Halperin:
“A bunch of people having fun watching cars burn.” Putting the blame on federal officials, including ICE and the National Guard, for defending themselves.

Democrats, who should know better, hear this kind of left-wing media coverage and get a distorted impression. But the facts aren’t unclear. Is this operation something that should be scrutinized? Absolutely. There are people here illegally who contribute to their communities—they have jobs, care for children, clean houses. Immigration is a tough issue, a human issue, for America to grapple with.

But what isn’t complicated: If ICE says they’re deporting specific people, some of whom are violent criminals, and then violence is directed against ICE, the issue there is clear. That’s a breakdown of civic order. When the president says local officials can’t or won’t maintain order, and the National Guard or military is brought in, Democrats should say, “Thank you for helping our community.” They can still oppose the immigration policy. But how can a political party claim the violence is incited by federal officials?

The Democratic response is equally confusing. Vice President Kamala Harris, who lives in Southern California and has rarely weighed in since leaving office, called the people being deported “our immigrant neighbors.” Technically true—they’re immigrants, illegal immigrants, living nearby—but that phrase reflects the Democrats’ desire to blame Donald Trump. They want to suggest this violence is Trump’s fault. It’s not.

Trump openly promised this action as a candidate, clearly, in speeches like one he gave in Iowa. There was no ambiguity. Now he’s enforcing that promise, going into blue areas—possibly being provocative or changing the subject. He even sent ICE agents into Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket. Locals there were shocked, saying things like, “That woman cares for my kids,” or “That guy sells me papaya in the park.” It’s tragic to see these lives upended, but these are people who chose to enter illegally.

My heart breaks for them on a human level, but tens of millions of Americans voted for Trump precisely to restore order, to bring sanity back to our immigration system—for security, criminal justice, and because our healthcare and education systems simply can’t afford unchecked illegal immigration.

I don’t understand why Democrats think attacking law enforcement, either verbally or politically, is the right approach. Oppose Trump’s immigration policies politically if you disagree. But as ICE officials are being attacked, how can anyone justify criticizing law enforcement for enforcing the law?

California Democratic officials keep repeating that Trump is evil, doesn’t care about immigrants, wants to destroy communities, uses aggressive law enforcement, rubber bullets against reporters, tear gas against babies. This rhetoric results directly in attacks on law enforcement. Enforcing the law is not breaking the law. You can disagree with the policy, but this is one of the clearest examples of Trump Derangement Syndrome I’ve ever seen.