Jake Tapper says Trump not transparent on health while exposing Biden decline

CNN’s Jake Tapper, co-author of the new book on the alleged cover-up of former President Joe Biden’s health decline, says President Donald Trump is not forthcoming with his health information. 

“I just think in general, not Trump specific, but in general, I think that the press corps, and I‘m certainly including myself, needs to worry less about politeness when it comes to these health issues and needs to be even more aggressive when it comes to demanding transparency on health issues,” Tapper said Thursday on “The Situation Room with Wolf Blitzer.”

On Tuesday, Tapper’s book, “Original Sin,” co-authored with Axios journalist Alex Thompson, was published. 

BIDEN INSIDER WAS REPORTEDLY ‘AMAZED’ AT THE MEDIA COVERAGE THEY WERE ABLE TO SPIN

The book looks in part at the efforts made by top Biden aides and allies to hide the truth about Biden’s mental and physical health, providing a depiction of a president who was routinely addled during his term.

During his discussion with co-author Thompson and Blitzer, Tapper said he doesn’t think Trump, 78, is being fully open about his own health. 

“When it comes to the president, President Trump, while he appears healthy, he has not been transparent about his health records,” Tapper said. “And I think that that‘s something that the American people have a right to.” 

Tapper has received mounting criticism from observers who believe he was part of the alleged cover-up by dismissing and underreporting clear signs of Biden’s decline, like the rest of the liberal media. The CNN anchor has been on multiple shows admitting to failures in how the reporting on Biden’s health was done, and critics have said he is now profiting off that failure.

On April 13, 2025, the White House released the results of Trump’s physical exam conducted on April 11.

RESULTS OF PRESIDENT TRUMP’S PHYSICAL RELEASED, HERE’S WHAT THEY SAY

“President Donald J. Trump underwent his annual physical examination at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center,” Navy Capt. Sean P. Barbabella, the physician to the president, said in a statement released by the White House.

 “I performed and supervised the comprehensive exam, which included diagnostic and laboratory testing, as well as consultations with fourteen specialty consultants, all in accordance with U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations,” Barbabella added. “The President has consented to release the physical exam findings to the public.”

The summary of the examination noted that Trump “remains in excellent health, exhibiting robust cardiac, pulmonary, neurological, and general physical function,” and that his “active lifestyle continues to contribute significantly to his well-being.” 

In June 2024, the Wall Street Journal published its explosive story about how some lawmakers began questioning Biden’s health, and the debate surrounding the issue became increasingly heated, with staff and lawmakers insisting that Biden was in good health, although some have since come out and shared stories that made them doubt that he was healthy. 

Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill., told Tapper of his trip with Biden to the Emerald Isle in April 2023 that reminded him of his own ailing father, who had Parkinson’s.

On Sunday, Biden’s prostate cancer diagnosis was announced, with his spokesperson telling Fox News days later that the last time he received a blood test that screens for prostate cancer was in 2014.