May 28, 2025 • 21 mins
Jake Tapper’s new book Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again is making headlines; not just for what’s in it. The backlash, the omissions, the PR fallout—it’s all part of a larger failure in messaging that started long before the first leak.
In this episode, I’m breaking down the five communication sins at the core of the Biden cover-up. It’s not about politics. It’s about power, spin, and what happens when leaders forget that concealment is not strategy.
You’ll hear:
- The five sins: from silencing to muting the messenger
- The Tapper media tour misfire
- Why crisis spin can’t beat truth—even with a teleprompter
- How these same mistakes show up in boardrooms, campaigns, and C-suites
This isn’t about politics or who you voted for. It’s about what not to do when people are watching...and when they’re not.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Molly McPherson (00:00):
Last week, cnn anchor Jake Tapper faced the
backlash he likely anticipatedwhen promoting his new book
Original Sin President Biden'sdecline, its cover-up and his
disastrous choice to run again.
The criticism came from allsides Democrats, media
commentators and late-nighthosts alike.
But where Tapper took thebiggest hit, I felt, was during
(00:23):
his appearance on the MegynKelly podcast.
Kelly, formerly of Fox News andNBC News, cornered him with the
kind of rhetorical flair shetries to be known for, demanding
an apology on behalf of LauraTrump.
This moment it landed with aforce.
(00:45):
It's reported that Tapper hireda crisis PR expert.
Clip (00:57):
And here's like why, first and foremost, I had no idea
that Joe Biden ever sufferedfrom a stutter.
I think what we see on stagewith Joe Biden, jake, is very
clearly a cognitive decline.
That's what I'm referring to.
It makes me uncomfortable.
You are so amazing You'retrying to tell me that what I
was suggesting was.
I think you were mocking hisstutter.
Yeah, I think you were mockinghis stutter and I think you have
absolutely no standing todiagnose somebody's cognitive
(01:19):
decline.
And it's very concerning to alot of people that this could be
the leader of the free world.
That is all I'm saying.
I genuinely feel sorry for JoeBiden.
I appreciate it.
I'm sure it was from a place ofconcern.
We all, we all believe that.
Laura Trump, thank you so much.
Molly McPherson (01:33):
Tapper knew it was coming.
If Biden's decline wasn'tevident, why didn't you report
it sooner?
A fair question, especially forsomeone now making headlines
for revealing what he didn't say.
Then Enter my personal bias.
If you agree to sit across fromMegyn Kelly, you know what
you're walking into Soundbites,receipts and if you're promoting
(01:55):
a book that pulls back thecurtain on a presidency you
helped cover, you better beready to answer for what you've
left out.
Original Sin is loaded withrevelations.
I loved this book, but whatcaught my attention was the
cover-up itself.
As a crisis manager, I workwith leaders who try to do
(02:17):
exactly what Biden's circle didbury the truth and hope.
No one digs, but they always do.
This week, I'm breaking downthe five communication mistakes
that led to what I call theoriginal communication sins the
missteps, the choices thatturned concern into crisis.
(02:38):
Welcome to the PR Breakdown, apodcast where we expose the spin
, the cover-up and the cracks incommunication behind today's
headlines.
I'm your host, molly McPherson.
Did I read the book?
No, because technically Ilistened to it.
I started Original Sin on aflight to San Francisco to
(02:59):
deliver a keynote on leadershipand communication, and let me
tell you this book waspractically written for that
stage.
It's a case study in what notto do when your job is to inform
, lead or protect a reputation.
This book, which is currentlyat number two on the Amazon list
(03:20):
of nonfiction bestsellers listof nonfiction bestsellers behind
Mel Robbins, the Let themTheory and let me tell you,
nothing drives me more crazythan seeing Mel Robbins at
number one.
Why do people buy this book?
(03:40):
It's a compilation of otherpeople's work, including Cassie
Phillips, a 32-year-old militaryspouse, a mother of two, who
wrote a poem titled Let them.
But that's anothermisinformation campaign for
another day.
Back to the one in this book theBiden cover-up, tapper's book.
He plenty of scrutiny onBiden's inner circle and the
former president himself, butalso the author, jake Tapper,
(04:04):
co-author Alex Thompson, I think, is getting lost in the shuffle
, which I assume he doesn't mindone bit, because there is a lot
of backlash.
But the revelations in the bookalso points a finger in the
direction of Democraticleadership, president Biden
himself, president Biden'sfamily and staff for not
revealing more about Biden'sdeclining health.
(04:26):
I'm not here to shed more lighton those topics.
There's plenty of content outthere for you to chew on.
I'm more interested in sharingwhat truly interested me about
this book the machinations NowTapper uses an alternative
pronunciation machinations butit was the cover-up that got me
because as a full-time crisismanager, I deal with leaders
publicinations but it was thecover-up that got me Because, as
a full-time crisis manager, Ideal with leaders, public
(04:48):
figures and sudden publicfigures who hire me to CYA cover
their assumptions that hidingthe truth is a wise strategy.
It's not.
In this episode I'm breakingdown the five communication and
leadership mistakes let's callthem sins that led to the
original sin of Biden throwinghis hat into the ring for the
(05:10):
2024 election, because thedetails that Tapper and Thompson
reveal that Biden likelycouldn't muster the strength to
toss anything.
Like me, if you read the bookand keep asking yourself how did
they get away with thedeception, the cover?
It starts here Over half of USadults say they get some of
their news from social media.
(05:32):
This is from a Pew ResearchCenter study from September 2024
, and it points to the sourceMemes, viral videos, commentary
influencers, spin clips, ai.
People don't get their newsfrom direct sources as much
these days and that impactselections.
Now the positive of socialmedia people are becoming more
(05:52):
interested because of viralcampaigns Think about Kamala
Harris and falling out of acoconut tree More voters,
younger voters.
But the flip side with theproliferation of content
available, it becomes morechallenging to vet what is good
information from misinformationand disinformation.
(06:12):
That creates instability inpolitics and with 64% of the
American population believingthat the US democracy is in
crisis and at risk of failing.
Well, in this type of climate,a communication failure isn't
just a mistake, it's a threat.
Here are five originalcommunication sins that I pulled
(06:34):
out of the book.
Number one obfuscation overhonesty.
The sin withholding or twistingthe truth to preserve control.
Examples Original sin providesnumerous examples of how Biden's
inner circle, even seniorDemocratic leadership, obscured
(06:54):
the president's mental andphysical decline.
His closest aides, familymembers, created a carefully
controlled environment thatmasked the president's
limitations.
Carefully controlledenvironment that masked the
president's limitations.
Public events were choreographedto a degree that went beyond
routine political management.
It was fascinating to hear howthey cut time limits where he
(07:16):
was speaking, where they broughtin teleprompters, even into
private fundraisers, in homes.
Staff limited unscriptedinteractions where they could.
They structured shortengagements around Biden's
energy dips and ensured photoops conveyed strength.
You saw those aviator glasses,but behind the scenes the
(07:38):
reality was sobering.
Biden was forgetting the namesof longtime allies like his
national security advisor, jakeSullivan, who he called Steve,
or his longtime communicationdirector, kate Bettenfield, who
he called Press.
He was stumbling duringclassified briefings.
He even forgot the date of hisson, beau's death.
(08:01):
One source described the WhiteHouse leadership as a
five-person board, but therewere a few other people in there
that a lot of insiders werecalling the Politburo.
They were made up of a small,close-knit group of advisors,
family members and senior aideswho effectively ran the White
House during Biden's presidency.
They include Mike Donilon, alongtime strategist and senior
(08:24):
advisor.
Steve Ruschetti, counselor tothe president.
Bruce Reed, who was a domesticpolicy advisor and former chief
of staff.
The first lady, dr Jill Biden.
There's Hunter Biden, of course, the president's son.
He was very influential indiscouraging his father from
withdrawing from the 2024 race.
Ron Klain he was the formerWhite House Chief of Staff.
Annie Tomasini she was a senioradvisor and director of Oval
(08:48):
Office Operations.
And Anthony Bernal he was asenior advisor to the First Lady
.
It was this group of people,their willful ignorance and
deliberate denial that createdwhat Tapper and Thompson call
the original sin, the fatefulmistake that set off a chain of
damaging consequences.
The lesson here is thattransparency isn't a luxury,
(09:12):
it's a liability shield.
Concealing is an issue,especially when it's about the
health or leadership capacity ofa president or a leader.
It only delays the fallout anddeepens public betrayal when the
truth surfaces.
Because the truth always doesTwo silencing, dissent, the sin,
(09:34):
discrediting or ignoringinternal or external concerns.
Tapper and Thompson describe asustained pattern of dismissing
or silencing concerns bothinside and outside the White
House about Biden's cognitivefunctioning and his health.
Reporters like Catherine Luceyfrom the Wall Street Journal
were targeted by internal WhiteHouse campaigns when questions
(09:56):
were raised about Biden'sperformance.
Aid and staffers who voicedconcerns internally were
described as alarmist and manywere either reassigned or boxed
out of meetings In Congress.
Democratic leaders whoquestioned the strategy were
told to stay silent for the goodof the party.
One anecdote recounts a senatorwho raised Biden's cognitive
issues in a closed-door session,only to be rebuked.
(10:19):
As quote giving Republicans aweapon.
End quote In Special CounselRobert Herr.
The book goes deep intochoosing Robert Herr and what
happened to Robert Herr forbeing appointed special counsel.
Her and what happened to RobertHerr for being appointed
special counsel.
In that testimony he describesBiden's memory issues and how it
(10:39):
was treated as a betrayalrather than a warning and during
a fundraiser.
This was remarkable.
In the book for Biden 2022, thepresident did not recognize
George Clooney, despite theirlongstanding relationships that
went back to a time when Bidenwas in the Senate.
That eventually led to Clooneywriting an op-ed calling out
(11:01):
Biden's deteriorating memory andurging Biden to drop out of the
race.
Part of the Politburo Reschettiread the op-ed and was
reportedly furious.
Internally, it was said that hethreatened to shut Clooney down
, but he was talked out of itand some of the colleagues in
the book said he sounded like amob boss.
(11:23):
The lesson Pushback is not theproblem.
Ignoring it is Respectful.
Dissent is a check on blindspots.
When leaders mute the messenger, they lose the message and the
trust that came with it.
Three loyalty over truth thesin valuing allegiance more than
accuracy.
(11:44):
Example Loyalty was both ashield and a blindfold in the
Biden administration.
The book illustrates how seniorofficials enabled an environment
where feedback was filteredbased on what the president
would want to hear, not what heneeded to know.
One account describes aidesprivately acknowledging Biden's
(12:05):
struggles but refusing to speakup during meetings.
Okay, there are many accountsdescribing aides privately
acknowledging Biden's strugglesbut refusing to speak up during
meetings for fear of seemingdisloyal.
This Politburo-style structurearound Biden became more about
preserving access thanchallenging direction.
And even when major donors andDemocratic governors voiced
(12:27):
concerns about the campaignstrategy, the inner circle stood
by the belief that Joe can dothis without any evidence or
accountability.
There were moments in thepresidency and in the campaign
where Joe Biden was Biden, whenhe was empathetic, when he was
sympathetic, when he couldreally connect with voters, but
(12:50):
in the end he couldn't sustainit.
The lesson if your inner circleis afraid to correct you, you
don't have advisors anymore, youhave enablers.
Effective leaders fosterenvironments where hard truths
are welcomed, not punished.
Four filtered feedback loops,the sin creating distance
(13:12):
between reality and decisionmakers.
Examples I couldn't believe,hearing this in the book, that
policy briefings were oftenmediated by staff when they had
transcriptions.
Where Biden would get it wrong,they would strike the
transcription and correct it.
They edited, reframed pollresults, scheduling decisions
(13:35):
and performance reviews.
Even data from key battlegroundstates were routinely presented
to Biden in a much rosier light.
So it was advisors who felt hada better sense of public
sentiment, better than publicpollsters.
Aides were filtering negativeinformation and trends out of
(13:56):
fear that a candid assessment tothe president would derail the
entire reelection strategy.
In one account, biden remainedconvinced he was gaining
traction in Arizona and Georgia,even as the internal models
showed the opposite.
It was so incredibly blatantand they got away with it.
(14:17):
The lesson every filteredmessage makes a leader more
reactive and less effective.
This happens a lot.
People don't want to tell theboss the truth, but unfiltered
information good, bad oruncomfortable is like the oxygen
of responsible decision-making.
(14:40):
Five short-term wins, long-termdamage, the sin, choosing optics
over outcomes Examples Perhapsthe most damaging effect of the
cover-up outlined by Tapper andThompson in the book was that it
paved the way for DonaldTrump's resurgence.
Rather than reckon with Biden'slimitations early, have a
(15:04):
serious discussion withdecisions about Biden's true
ability to win an election,while being fully transparent
about the failings, the healthand cognitive failings.
All the Politburo focused onvisual optics.
They created viral moments,carefully staged events, tight
(15:27):
scripts.
They filmed an ad.
They put people together likein a town hall setting and they
filmed Biden speaking from ateleprompter.
And they tried over and overand over to make it work.
In the end, they had to scrapthe entire thing.
Everything was highlystructured and orchestrated.
(15:47):
During overseas trips, biden'shandlers blocked full press
access and instead pushed theselighthearted interactions and
human interest angles, thestunts that helped deflect
scrutiny in the short term butdid little to counter growing
doubts.
There was a really remarkablepart where Biden was taking a
(16:07):
train from Ukraine to Poland, Ibelieve, and how exhausting that
would be to do it.
The book also details how Bidendid not attend dinners and
meals and meetings with otherinternational leaders and
presidents because they didn'tthink that he could handle it.
Instead, they would sendAnthony Blinken, the former
(16:30):
secretary of state Sometimes hewould get only a day's notice to
attend an overseas meeting ormeal on behalf of Biden.
Meanwhile, people weresuspicious.
Major Democratic donors startedto pull back.
The allies distanced themselves.
These global leaders they werestill very cordial and public to
Biden, but reportedly in thebook there was a lot of
(16:54):
contingency planning around USinstability.
The lesson short-term spin mightbuy time, but it sells out
credibility Once stakeholdersrealize they've been misled.
The crisis doesn't end, itmetastasizes.
The five original communicationsins.
Well, this is what happens whenthe cover-up becomes the crisis
.
And these aren't just WhiteHouse problems, they're
(17:17):
workplace problems, they'renonprofit board problems,
they're corporate leadershipproblems.
The playbook is always the sameDeny, delay, deflect, discredit
, then scramble.
I know this.
This is why I created myindestructible PR framework, my
trademarked, indestructible PR,not the pending trademark of one
(17:38):
Mel Robbins for the term.
Let them.
And then, if that gets through,you will soon be able to see
stationary items, printed booksin the field of self-help,
self-improvement,self-development, personal
development, motivation,relationships, confidence,
mindset goals, health, wellnessstickers.
Let's move back to my framework.
(17:58):
I did not steal it from a blogpost.
I created it to stop this typeof cycle.
You see, in a crisis Own it,explain it, promise it.
That's how you neutralize acover-up.
That's how you rebuildcredibility.
It works.
Want to hear it in action?
Clip (18:17):
Knowing what I know now, obviously I feel tremendous
humility about my coverage thatLaura Trump interview, for
example, etc.
She saw something that I didnot see at the time, 100 percent
and I own that.
Molly McPherson (18:36):
Did you hear it ?
So yes, tapper's getting flack,some of it fair, some of it not
On Substack.
Last week, during my FridayFallout live chat every Friday
when I'm in town I like to hopon Substack around noontime to
highlight the PR fails orfallouts of the week.
Last week I discussed OriginalSin.
(18:57):
You can find that video if youfollow me on Substack.
I shared why the Tapper-CNNhype issue left me with somewhat
squishy feelings.
Tapper especially, was getting alot of blowback as a journalist
, as a working journalistwriting this book, hyping this
book.
Cnn, which published the book'srollout like a huge marquee
(19:17):
event, has been accused ofoverhyping its own employees'
project, its own employeesproject.
Many people are saying that'snot journalism.
You can't do that.
But you know it's brand synergy.
It's a business.
I understand the ethicaltension.
I don't dismiss it at all, butat the same time I get it.
Meanwhile, cbs News lost twotop executives Wendy McMahon,
(19:38):
the head of the news division,and 60 Minutes executive
producer Bill Owens.
Why?
Because Paramount, cbs's parentcompany, is navigating a
political volatile merger withSkydance Media and Trump's legal
team is now a stakeholder inthat mediation.
All of it adds up to this.
Journalism isn't just abouttruth.
Nowadays it's about platformsand profit and positioning.
(19:59):
So, in short, content iscurrency and everyone yes, even
legacy anchors are now contentcreators.
The lines between storytellingyou attempt to spin or hide
information from your keystakeholders.
You are only left naked andexposed If you work in a place
(20:36):
where truth gets filtered,forwarded or outright ignored.
Go ahead, send this episode tothe person who needs to hear it.
Leave a review.
Let me know the most helpfulidea from today's episode, or
you can share it directly withme on Substack or under a blog
post where I am posting thislist.
So you can check that out.
(20:56):
At prbreakdownmedia, I have achat open right now with members
of the group to get their takeon the book, the cover-up and
who took the biggest hit in thebook.
You can see my answer in thechat.
Again, it's open to my substacks of subscribers, so I hope
to see your answer there.
(21:17):
That's all for this week on thepodcast.
Bye for now.
Last week, cnn anchor Jake Tapper faced the
backlash he likely anticipatedwhen promoting his new book
Original Sin President Biden'sdecline, its cover-up and his
disastrous choice to run again.
The criticism came from allsides Democrats, media
commentators and late-nighthosts alike.
But where Tapper took thebiggest hit, I felt, was during
(00:23):
his appearance on the MegynKelly podcast.
Kelly, formerly of Fox News andNBC News, cornered him with the
kind of rhetorical flair shetries to be known for, demanding
an apology on behalf of LauraTrump.
This moment it landed with aforce.
(00:45):
It's reported that Tapper hireda crisis PR expert.
Clip (00:57):
And here's like why, first and foremost, I had no idea
that Joe Biden ever sufferedfrom a stutter.
I think what we see on stagewith Joe Biden, jake, is very
clearly a cognitive decline.
That's what I'm referring to.
It makes me uncomfortable.
You are so amazing You'retrying to tell me that what I
was suggesting was.
I think you were mocking hisstutter.
Yeah, I think you were mockinghis stutter and I think you have
absolutely no standing todiagnose somebody's cognitive
(01:19):
decline.
And it's very concerning to alot of people that this could be
the leader of the free world.
That is all I'm saying.
I genuinely feel sorry for JoeBiden.
I appreciate it.
I'm sure it was from a place ofconcern.
We all, we all believe that.
Laura Trump, thank you so much.
Molly McPherson (01:33):
Tapper knew it was coming.
If Biden's decline wasn'tevident, why didn't you report
it sooner?
A fair question, especially forsomeone now making headlines
for revealing what he didn't say.
Then Enter my personal bias.
If you agree to sit across fromMegyn Kelly, you know what
you're walking into Soundbites,receipts and if you're promoting
(01:55):
a book that pulls back thecurtain on a presidency you
helped cover, you better beready to answer for what you've
left out.
Original Sin is loaded withrevelations.
I loved this book, but whatcaught my attention was the
cover-up itself.
As a crisis manager, I workwith leaders who try to do
(02:17):
exactly what Biden's circle didbury the truth and hope.
No one digs, but they always do.
This week, I'm breaking downthe five communication mistakes
that led to what I call theoriginal communication sins the
missteps, the choices thatturned concern into crisis.
(02:38):
Welcome to the PR Breakdown, apodcast where we expose the spin
, the cover-up and the cracks incommunication behind today's
headlines.
I'm your host, molly McPherson.
Did I read the book?
No, because technically Ilistened to it.
I started Original Sin on aflight to San Francisco to
(02:59):
deliver a keynote on leadershipand communication, and let me
tell you this book waspractically written for that
stage.
It's a case study in what notto do when your job is to inform
, lead or protect a reputation.
This book, which is currentlyat number two on the Amazon list
(03:20):
of nonfiction bestsellers listof nonfiction bestsellers behind
Mel Robbins, the Let themTheory and let me tell you,
nothing drives me more crazythan seeing Mel Robbins at
number one.
Why do people buy this book?
(03:40):
It's a compilation of otherpeople's work, including Cassie
Phillips, a 32-year-old militaryspouse, a mother of two, who
wrote a poem titled Let them.
But that's anothermisinformation campaign for
another day.
Back to the one in this book theBiden cover-up, tapper's book.
He plenty of scrutiny onBiden's inner circle and the
former president himself, butalso the author, jake Tapper,
(04:04):
co-author Alex Thompson, I think, is getting lost in the shuffle
, which I assume he doesn't mindone bit, because there is a lot
of backlash.
But the revelations in the bookalso points a finger in the
direction of Democraticleadership, president Biden
himself, president Biden'sfamily and staff for not
revealing more about Biden'sdeclining health.
(04:26):
I'm not here to shed more lighton those topics.
There's plenty of content outthere for you to chew on.
I'm more interested in sharingwhat truly interested me about
this book the machinations NowTapper uses an alternative
pronunciation machinations butit was the cover-up that got me
because as a full-time crisismanager, I deal with leaders
publicinations but it was thecover-up that got me Because, as
a full-time crisis manager, Ideal with leaders, public
(04:48):
figures and sudden publicfigures who hire me to CYA cover
their assumptions that hidingthe truth is a wise strategy.
It's not.
In this episode I'm breakingdown the five communication and
leadership mistakes let's callthem sins that led to the
original sin of Biden throwinghis hat into the ring for the
(05:10):
2024 election, because thedetails that Tapper and Thompson
reveal that Biden likelycouldn't muster the strength to
toss anything.
Like me, if you read the bookand keep asking yourself how did
they get away with thedeception, the cover?
It starts here Over half of USadults say they get some of
their news from social media.
(05:32):
This is from a Pew ResearchCenter study from September 2024
, and it points to the sourceMemes, viral videos, commentary
influencers, spin clips, ai.
People don't get their newsfrom direct sources as much
these days and that impactselections.
Now the positive of socialmedia people are becoming more
(05:52):
interested because of viralcampaigns Think about Kamala
Harris and falling out of acoconut tree More voters,
younger voters.
But the flip side with theproliferation of content
available, it becomes morechallenging to vet what is good
information from misinformationand disinformation.
(06:12):
That creates instability inpolitics and with 64% of the
American population believingthat the US democracy is in
crisis and at risk of failing.
Well, in this type of climate,a communication failure isn't
just a mistake, it's a threat.
Here are five originalcommunication sins that I pulled
(06:34):
out of the book.
Number one obfuscation overhonesty.
The sin withholding or twistingthe truth to preserve control.
Examples Original sin providesnumerous examples of how Biden's
inner circle, even seniorDemocratic leadership, obscured
(06:54):
the president's mental andphysical decline.
His closest aides, familymembers, created a carefully
controlled environment thatmasked the president's
limitations.
Carefully controlledenvironment that masked the
president's limitations.
Public events were choreographedto a degree that went beyond
routine political management.
It was fascinating to hear howthey cut time limits where he
(07:16):
was speaking, where they broughtin teleprompters, even into
private fundraisers, in homes.
Staff limited unscriptedinteractions where they could.
They structured shortengagements around Biden's
energy dips and ensured photoops conveyed strength.
You saw those aviator glasses,but behind the scenes the
(07:38):
reality was sobering.
Biden was forgetting the namesof longtime allies like his
national security advisor, jakeSullivan, who he called Steve,
or his longtime communicationdirector, kate Bettenfield, who
he called Press.
He was stumbling duringclassified briefings.
He even forgot the date of hisson, beau's death.
(08:01):
One source described the WhiteHouse leadership as a
five-person board, but therewere a few other people in there
that a lot of insiders werecalling the Politburo.
They were made up of a small,close-knit group of advisors,
family members and senior aideswho effectively ran the White
House during Biden's presidency.
They include Mike Donilon, alongtime strategist and senior
(08:24):
advisor.
Steve Ruschetti, counselor tothe president.
Bruce Reed, who was a domesticpolicy advisor and former chief
of staff.
The first lady, dr Jill Biden.
There's Hunter Biden, of course, the president's son.
He was very influential indiscouraging his father from
withdrawing from the 2024 race.
Ron Klain he was the formerWhite House Chief of Staff.
Annie Tomasini she was a senioradvisor and director of Oval
(08:48):
Office Operations.
And Anthony Bernal he was asenior advisor to the First Lady
.
It was this group of people,their willful ignorance and
deliberate denial that createdwhat Tapper and Thompson call
the original sin, the fatefulmistake that set off a chain of
damaging consequences.
The lesson here is thattransparency isn't a luxury,
(09:12):
it's a liability shield.
Concealing is an issue,especially when it's about the
health or leadership capacity ofa president or a leader.
It only delays the fallout anddeepens public betrayal when the
truth surfaces.
Because the truth always doesTwo silencing, dissent, the sin,
(09:34):
discrediting or ignoringinternal or external concerns.
Tapper and Thompson describe asustained pattern of dismissing
or silencing concerns bothinside and outside the White
House about Biden's cognitivefunctioning and his health.
Reporters like Catherine Luceyfrom the Wall Street Journal
were targeted by internal WhiteHouse campaigns when questions
(09:56):
were raised about Biden'sperformance.
Aid and staffers who voicedconcerns internally were
described as alarmist and manywere either reassigned or boxed
out of meetings In Congress.
Democratic leaders whoquestioned the strategy were
told to stay silent for the goodof the party.
One anecdote recounts a senatorwho raised Biden's cognitive
issues in a closed-door session,only to be rebuked.
(10:19):
As quote giving Republicans aweapon.
End quote In Special CounselRobert Herr.
The book goes deep intochoosing Robert Herr and what
happened to Robert Herr forbeing appointed special counsel.
Her and what happened to RobertHerr for being appointed
special counsel.
In that testimony he describesBiden's memory issues and how it
(10:39):
was treated as a betrayalrather than a warning and during
a fundraiser.
This was remarkable.
In the book for Biden 2022, thepresident did not recognize
George Clooney, despite theirlongstanding relationships that
went back to a time when Bidenwas in the Senate.
That eventually led to Clooneywriting an op-ed calling out
(11:01):
Biden's deteriorating memory andurging Biden to drop out of the
race.
Part of the Politburo Reschettiread the op-ed and was
reportedly furious.
Internally, it was said that hethreatened to shut Clooney down
, but he was talked out of itand some of the colleagues in
the book said he sounded like amob boss.
(11:23):
The lesson Pushback is not theproblem.
Ignoring it is Respectful.
Dissent is a check on blindspots.
When leaders mute the messenger, they lose the message and the
trust that came with it.
Three loyalty over truth thesin valuing allegiance more than
accuracy.
(11:44):
Example Loyalty was both ashield and a blindfold in the
Biden administration.
The book illustrates how seniorofficials enabled an environment
where feedback was filteredbased on what the president
would want to hear, not what heneeded to know.
One account describes aidesprivately acknowledging Biden's
(12:05):
struggles but refusing to speakup during meetings.
Okay, there are many accountsdescribing aides privately
acknowledging Biden's strugglesbut refusing to speak up during
meetings for fear of seemingdisloyal.
This Politburo-style structurearound Biden became more about
preserving access thanchallenging direction.
And even when major donors andDemocratic governors voiced
(12:27):
concerns about the campaignstrategy, the inner circle stood
by the belief that Joe can dothis without any evidence or
accountability.
There were moments in thepresidency and in the campaign
where Joe Biden was Biden, whenhe was empathetic, when he was
sympathetic, when he couldreally connect with voters, but
(12:50):
in the end he couldn't sustainit.
The lesson if your inner circleis afraid to correct you, you
don't have advisors anymore, youhave enablers.
Effective leaders fosterenvironments where hard truths
are welcomed, not punished.
Four filtered feedback loops,the sin creating distance
(13:12):
between reality and decisionmakers.
Examples I couldn't believe,hearing this in the book, that
policy briefings were oftenmediated by staff when they had
transcriptions.
Where Biden would get it wrong,they would strike the
transcription and correct it.
They edited, reframed pollresults, scheduling decisions
(13:35):
and performance reviews.
Even data from key battlegroundstates were routinely presented
to Biden in a much rosier light.
So it was advisors who felt hada better sense of public
sentiment, better than publicpollsters.
Aides were filtering negativeinformation and trends out of
(13:56):
fear that a candid assessment tothe president would derail the
entire reelection strategy.
In one account, biden remainedconvinced he was gaining
traction in Arizona and Georgia,even as the internal models
showed the opposite.
It was so incredibly blatantand they got away with it.
(14:17):
The lesson every filteredmessage makes a leader more
reactive and less effective.
This happens a lot.
People don't want to tell theboss the truth, but unfiltered
information good, bad oruncomfortable is like the oxygen
of responsible decision-making.
(14:40):
Five short-term wins, long-termdamage, the sin, choosing optics
over outcomes Examples Perhapsthe most damaging effect of the
cover-up outlined by Tapper andThompson in the book was that it
paved the way for DonaldTrump's resurgence.
Rather than reckon with Biden'slimitations early, have a
(15:04):
serious discussion withdecisions about Biden's true
ability to win an election,while being fully transparent
about the failings, the healthand cognitive failings.
All the Politburo focused onvisual optics.
They created viral moments,carefully staged events, tight
(15:27):
scripts.
They filmed an ad.
They put people together likein a town hall setting and they
filmed Biden speaking from ateleprompter.
And they tried over and overand over to make it work.
In the end, they had to scrapthe entire thing.
Everything was highlystructured and orchestrated.
(15:47):
During overseas trips, biden'shandlers blocked full press
access and instead pushed theselighthearted interactions and
human interest angles, thestunts that helped deflect
scrutiny in the short term butdid little to counter growing
doubts.
There was a really remarkablepart where Biden was taking a
(16:07):
train from Ukraine to Poland, Ibelieve, and how exhausting that
would be to do it.
The book also details how Bidendid not attend dinners and
meals and meetings with otherinternational leaders and
presidents because they didn'tthink that he could handle it.
Instead, they would sendAnthony Blinken, the former
(16:30):
secretary of state Sometimes hewould get only a day's notice to
attend an overseas meeting ormeal on behalf of Biden.
Meanwhile, people weresuspicious.
Major Democratic donors startedto pull back.
The allies distanced themselves.
These global leaders they werestill very cordial and public to
Biden, but reportedly in thebook there was a lot of
(16:54):
contingency planning around USinstability.
The lesson short-term spin mightbuy time, but it sells out
credibility Once stakeholdersrealize they've been misled.
The crisis doesn't end, itmetastasizes.
The five original communicationsins.
Well, this is what happens whenthe cover-up becomes the crisis
.
And these aren't just WhiteHouse problems, they're
(17:17):
workplace problems, they'renonprofit board problems,
they're corporate leadershipproblems.
The playbook is always the sameDeny, delay, deflect, discredit
, then scramble.
I know this.
This is why I created myindestructible PR framework, my
trademarked, indestructible PR,not the pending trademark of one
(17:38):
Mel Robbins for the term.
Let them.
And then, if that gets through,you will soon be able to see
stationary items, printed booksin the field of self-help,
self-improvement,self-development, personal
development, motivation,relationships, confidence,
mindset goals, health, wellnessstickers.
Let's move back to my framework.
(17:58):
I did not steal it from a blogpost.
I created it to stop this typeof cycle.
You see, in a crisis Own it,explain it, promise it.
That's how you neutralize acover-up.
That's how you rebuildcredibility.
It works.
Want to hear it in action?
Clip (18:17):
Knowing what I know now, obviously I feel tremendous
humility about my coverage thatLaura Trump interview, for
example, etc.
She saw something that I didnot see at the time, 100 percent
and I own that.
Molly McPherson (18:36):
Did you hear it ?
So yes, tapper's getting flack,some of it fair, some of it not
On Substack.
Last week, during my FridayFallout live chat every Friday
when I'm in town I like to hopon Substack around noontime to
highlight the PR fails orfallouts of the week.
Last week I discussed OriginalSin.
(18:57):
You can find that video if youfollow me on Substack.
I shared why the Tapper-CNNhype issue left me with somewhat
squishy feelings.
Tapper especially, was getting alot of blowback as a journalist
, as a working journalistwriting this book, hyping this
book.
Cnn, which published the book'srollout like a huge marquee
(19:17):
event, has been accused ofoverhyping its own employees'
project, its own employeesproject.
Many people are saying that'snot journalism.
You can't do that.
But you know it's brand synergy.
It's a business.
I understand the ethicaltension.
I don't dismiss it at all, butat the same time I get it.
Meanwhile, cbs News lost twotop executives Wendy McMahon,
(19:38):
the head of the news division,and 60 Minutes executive
producer Bill Owens.
Why?
Because Paramount, cbs's parentcompany, is navigating a
political volatile merger withSkydance Media and Trump's legal
team is now a stakeholder inthat mediation.
All of it adds up to this.
Journalism isn't just abouttruth.
Nowadays it's about platformsand profit and positioning.
(19:59):
So, in short, content iscurrency and everyone yes, even
legacy anchors are now contentcreators.
The lines between storytellingyou attempt to spin or hide
information from your keystakeholders.
You are only left naked andexposed If you work in a place
(20:36):
where truth gets filtered,forwarded or outright ignored.
Go ahead, send this episode tothe person who needs to hear it.
Leave a review.
Let me know the most helpfulidea from today's episode, or
you can share it directly withme on Substack or under a blog
post where I am posting thislist.
So you can check that out.
(20:56):
At prbreakdownmedia, I have achat open right now with members
of the group to get their takeon the book, the cover-up and
who took the biggest hit in thebook.
You can see my answer in thechat.
Again, it's open to my substacks of subscribers, so I hope
to see your answer there.
(21:17):
That's all for this week on thepodcast.
Bye for now.
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