Jake Tapper reveals blunt message he told staff while Biden imploded onstage during infamous debate

When Biden faced off against Trump in a debate, Jake Tapper was taken aback by Biden’s performance to the point where he hurriedly messaged his producers with an expletive remark. Tapper was startled by what he witnessed during the debate.

The CNN anchor opted instead to write ‘holy smokes’ while moderating the now-infamous face-off that ultimately cost Biden the Democratic nomination. 

As Tapper gears up for the launch of his upcoming book ‘Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,’ he has come under scrutiny. The book promises to delve into critical aspects of Biden’s presidency.

Critics argue that Tapper himself was directly involved in the cover-up he now is dissecting. 

In a recent interview with Megyn Kelly, Tapper acknowledged his previous oversights during Biden’s tenure but did not shy away from sharing the sense of shock he experienced while moderating the debate. The conversation with Kelly covered a wide range of topics related to Tapper’s experiences and perspectives.

‘That front row seat was really disturbing,’ he said, later describing Biden’s performance as an act of ‘self-immolation.’ 

Tapper revealed he and fellow moderator Dana Bash had iPads which they used to communicate with their production team throughout the debate.

Early on, Tapper sent a message to his crew backstage. He didn’t know which staff were working, so he ‘tried to keep it clean.’

‘I wrote “holy smokes,”‘ he told Kelly. ‘I wanted to write “holy f**k.”‘

Around the same time, Bash slid him a piece of paper, with her own message on it.

It read: ‘He just lost the election.’ 

‘It was – I don’t think this is hyperbole at all – the worst debate in the history of presidential debates going back to 1960.’

The aftermath of Biden’s rambling performance was chaotic as Democrats scrambled to save face and – most importantly – remove Biden from the running.

It was just five months out from the election and Trump was rapidly gaining momentum, shoring up his base and connecting with new voters who were struggling with the cost of living crisis and horrified by Biden’s clear cognitive decline.

Tapper acknowledged this in his sit-down with Kelly, telling her: ‘We all watched President Biden age. We all watched his gaffes. We all watched these moments that were uncomfortable and obviously representative of a decline going on.

‘But there was something about that debate that was utterly shocking.’ Tapper accepted that ‘maybe you and your listeners were not shocked.’

Kelly agreed. ‘It was one of those shocked but not surprised moments for us,’ she said.

Tapper recalled the moment Biden shuffled out onto the stage ‘as had been going on for years because of his degenerative spine’, which he said the White House had also lied about.

‘He has a cold also, so his voice is thinner… he’s obviously coughing a lot.’

The first answer Biden gave was ‘not good’, but it was the second lengthy answer during the economics segment in which he completely unraveled.

Tapper offered muted praise to Trump for showing restraint when he was handed plenty of ammunition to go on the attack.

‘Trump was obviously very Trump-y during the debate,’ Tapper said. ‘He did his thing. If you like it, you like it, and if you don’t, you don’t.

‘For Trump, given what was going on to his left, he was fairly restrained. He wasn’t really commenting on the self immolation that was going on.

‘I think he only made one comment about Biden’s incoherence.’ Trump told the crowd at one stage in the debate: ‘I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said either.’

Tapper said after the debate, Biden required help getting off the stage from his wife, Dr Jill. It was just one step down.

But he was even more shocked by Biden’s post-debate reaction. Rather than show distress or overt concern about his poor performance, he seemed blasé about the showdown.

‘They didn’t really seem to have any idea that this has been as bad as it was,’ Tapper revealed. ‘He said something awkward, ”sorry about my cold” and something about how much Trump lies… and he says, ”I guess we’ll go see what the commentators have to say”.’

‘You think… did I just see that?’

Despite Tapper’s horror at the evening, he has now admitted that he did not fully report on Biden’s senility when interviewing the former president over the years.

‘Knowing what I know now, obviously I feel tremendous humility about my coverage,’ Tapper told Kelly, while also admitting that ‘conservative media was correct’ in how it handled the story.

The former Fox News anchor asked why Tapper didn’t grill Biden during a 2022 interview, after the president called out for a colleague who had died nearly two months earlier at an official event.

‘You covered the Biden presidency aggressively throughout the four years, but you barely covered his mental acuity,’ Kelly said.

‘Time and time again, when issues came up, you seemed to be running cover for the president. You didn’t seem interested.’ 

Kelly also brought up a now-infamous 2020 exchange between Tapper and Lara Trump, during which Tapper shamed her for mentioning Biden’s ‘cognitive decline.’

‘That Lara Trump interview, for example, she saw something that I did not see at the time, 100 percent, and I own that,’ Tapper explained of the tense interview with Donald Trump’s daughter-in-law.

In it, Tapper had blasted her for bringing up Biden’s tendency to stutter during a conversation about Biden’s mental acuity.

‘And when you sat with him again… you didn’t ask him about it,’ she said, referring to an October 2022 interview Tapper conducted with Biden.

‘You didn’t follow up on the fact that he was falling up the stairs that he was losing  his train of thought regularly. That he was slurring, that he was incomprehensible, that he was getting lost on the White House lawn.’

‘You sat right across from him and you asked none of that, notwithstanding the fact that he had promised you he would be fully transparent about his health issues.’

Tapper acknowledged that Biden’s mental state was ‘not covered sufficiently’ by stations like CNN and that ‘conservative media was right.’

‘There should be a lot of soul-searching not just among me but among the legacy media to begin with – all of us – for how this was covered or not covered sufficiently,’ he said. ‘I wish I could do differently.’

‘Conservative media absolutely has every right to say, “We were hip to this and the legacy media was not,”‘ he added.

Biden this week revealed he has been diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer, sparking a wave of new concerns about his health in the White House.

He denies covering up the diagnosis. 

You May Also Like
Elon goes nuclear on 'insane spending bill' with new pledge that could threaten Trump's Republican majority

Elon Musk strongly opposes ‘reckless spending proposal’ with a new promise that might endanger Trump’s GOP control

 Ex-Trump ally billionaire Elon Musk’s latest promise could throw a major wrench into…
When Will ‘The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives’ Reunion Drop On Hulu?

What time will ‘The Secret Lives Of Mormon Wives’ reunion be available on Hulu?

Hulu has heard the pleas of fans eagerly awaiting the third season…
Exiled Iranian prince tells Trump he can be 'one of history's great peacemakers' amid talk of regime change

Iranian prince in exile advises Trump on potential for being a significant peacemaker in history while discussing possibilities of regime alteration.

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! Exclusive information obtained by…
Archaeologists make surprising discovery at hidden ancient city site

Archaeologists find unexpected artifacts at a secret ancient city location

The Spice Girls need to move aside, as girl power may have…
Trump hails ‘monumental' damage as experts await verdict on Iran’s nuclear program

Iran’s nuclear capabilities have been severely weakened, but the regime may continue to pursue the bomb

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! President Donald Trump recently…
HHS Finds Harvard in Violation of Title IX Over Antisemitism on Campus

Harvard Found in Violation of Title IX by HHS for Antisemitism on Campus

Harvard University might be feeling the heat today following an announcement made…
Mount Rushmore experts reveal if Trump can be added to the iconic monument - as sculptor's granddaughter gives blunt response

Mount Rushmore specialists discuss the possibility of adding Trump to the famous monument, while the granddaughter of the sculptor provides a direct answer.

Donald Trump’s aspiration to have his face carved into Mount Rushmore is…
Audio released of moment Idaho firefighters ambushed while responding to blaze: 'Emergency situation'

The person believed to be the shooter in the attack on an Idaho firefighter has been named

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The alleged sniper who…
Police reveal contents of mysterious black packages that washed up on pristine Florida beach

Police share details of strange black packages found on beautiful Florida beach

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! As Yosemite Sam would…
Idaho sniper named as traumatized locals pay tribute to slain firefighters

Tributes to slain firefighters as Idaho sniper identified; locals reflect on trauma

The sniper who lured hundreds of firefighters into a deadly ambush last…
Video shows what led up to Chicago shooting at Douglass Park that killed Marjay Dotson, injured Laquan McDonald's cousin

Video reveals events before fatal Chicago shooting at Douglass Park that claimed Marjay Dotson’s life and wounded Laquan McDonald’s relative

CHICAGO (WLS) — New video shows what led up to a deadly…
Bryan Kohberger case: Surviving roommate saw Xana Kernodle on floor after encounter with masked intruder

Close friends of the victims in Idaho found a spooky sign before the tragic killings

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! The college friends who…