Tensions flared on The View Tuesday as co-hosts reacted sharply to the release of a new book examining President Joe Biden’s mental fitness and alleged efforts by his inner circle to conceal his decline while in office. The panelists offered divergent views, with some co-hosts fiercely criticizing the book and CNN’s coverage, while others defended the journalists behind it.
The book in question, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, co-authored by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and Axios journalist Alex Thompson, hit shelves the same day and sparked immediate controversy—especially among the show’s more left-leaning commentators.
Joy Behar dismissed the book’s rollout, accusing CNN of using airtime to promote its own personalities. “All he’s doing is hawking his book on CNN,” Behar said of Tapper, referencing his appearances alongside CNN contributors Brian Stelter and Van Jones. “When did CNN become a place to hawk your book? Is Wolf Blitzer coming out with a cookbook?”
Behar also questioned Tapper’s editorial priorities. “When is Jake Tapper going to write about the cognitive decline of the person in charge right now?” she asked, referring to former President Donald Trump.
Co-host Whoopi Goldberg questioned the credibility of the book’s sources, asking why no concerns were publicly raised during Biden’s presidency if so many insiders allegedly observed signs of decline. “If you’re telling me that hundreds of people knew he was not able to do his job, then where the hell was everybody?” Goldberg asked.
Sunny Hostin echoed those sentiments while shifting focus to former Trump administration officials who published memoirs post-tenure. “They held onto information and cashed in,” she said, pointing to former national security adviser John Bolton, Attorney General Bill Barr, and others. “Why didn’t they speak up while they were in office?”
However, co-host Alyssa Farah Griffin pushed back, defending the book and the principles of journalistic accountability. “This is where I take issue with some folks on the left,” she said. “They support journalists when they target political opponents like Donald Trump. But when those same journalists report critically on Democrats, suddenly it’s ‘lies’ and ’fairy dust.’”
Griffin also responded to Biden family criticism of the book, including a pointed remark from the president’s granddaughter, Naomi Biden, who called it “political fairy smut.” Griffin countered, “How is it pro-democracy to attack journalists simply because they’re scrutinizing someone on your side?”
The conversation follows a recent interview President Biden gave to The View earlier in May, where he directly addressed allegations of a cover-up. Seated beside former First Lady Jill Biden, the president firmly rejected the book’s claims. “They are wrong,” he stated. Jill Biden added, “The people who wrote those books were not in the White House with us.” She emphasized that her husband had worked “nonstop” throughout his presidency.
The spirited debate underscored growing tensions within the Democratic base over Biden’s leadership and legacy, as well as broader frustrations with how major media outlets are covering both current and former presidents. As the 2024 election looms, questions about transparency, journalistic integrity, and partisan loyalty are increasingly intersecting on screens—and stages—across the country.
