Speaking Tuesday night on NewsNation’s On Balance, Original Sin co-author and Axios reporter Alex Thompson told host Leland Vittert that, in his reporting for this bestselling book about the cognitive decline of President Joe Biden and its cover-up, one Biden administration source remarked to him they were shocked how compliant the press were of their lies about Biden’s mental state.
Thompson revealed this in response to a question from Vittert if “people in his inner circle…were…surprised by how complicit the media” were in this cover-up.
“[I]t was interesting. I had one conversation with someone — this was after the election while we were reporting this book and — and this person said, listen, yes, we deserve blame for X, Y Z. We were hiding him. We were — but this person also sort of got in my face and they said, listen, the media deserve some blame, too. Like, we were sort of amazed at some of the stuff we were able to spin reporters on,” Thompson explained.
Vittert couldn’t believe it and started laughing, remarking they must have felt “like the bank robber complaining the safe wasn’t locked or something.”
Thompson revealed even more about this conversation and the Biden official was allegedly shocked (in what Thompson painted as an almost embarrassed way) that the press behaved this poorly in failing to do their jobs:
They’re just like, you guys — you guys should not have believed us so easily and I thought that was, like, a really interesting, but I also think that’s true. I think — I think the media in a lot of ways just was not skeptical enough and did not remember the lesson that they do it to different degrees, but every White House lies.
Immediately prior to this moment, Vittert had stated the obvious “there’s reason to be suspicious about the timing of the cancer diagnosis” and wondered on a somewhat related note if “there’s still a lot of things you guys didn’t find.”
Thompson didn’t flinch in saying he feels that way despite having “been covering the age issue for years” and, despite that and the book, “I see it as sort of a first draft, not the final draft” as both he and Tapper “already have more reporting that’s not in this book that we are still reporting out that we hope to include in future editions.”
Vittert remarked that Thompson has become a hot guest and has only now received his due as his “reporting is proving to be accurate and important,” but it’s thanks to Biden no longer being in office.
“When Joe Biden was in office, it was pretty easy to book you about your reporting especially want to talk about the short stairs to Air Force One, the sneakers, the 10-to-2 work hours all these things you are reporting. Nobody was willing to put it on TV because they want to talk about it,” he added.
Following Thompson thanking him for doing so when “a lot of people weren’t,” Vittert asked a question we’d ask if we had the chance to interview Tapper and Thompson: “How much of this coverup conspiracy, whatever you all want to call it was made possible by a complicit media?”
Thompson gave the correct answer, but in limited time: “Certainly, the media fell short and the biggest example of that is — if the media was on top of this, then Biden’s debate performance should not have been such a shock to so many people.”
To see the relevant NewsNation transcript from May 20, click “expand.”
NewsNation’s On Balance with Leland Vittert
May 20, 2025
9:13 p.m. EasternLELAND VITTERT: So, let’s just assume that there’s reason to be suspicious about the timing of the cancer diagnosis —
ALEX THOMPSON: Mmhmm.
VITTERT: — statements. It’s clear there’s still a lot of things you guys didn’t find.
THOMPSON: Yeah. I mean, I — honestly in some ways, even though I’ve been covering the age issue for years, and I just wrote this book, in some ways, I still only see this is the — I see it as sort of a first draft, not the final draft. I still feel there’s plenty that we don’t know. And I mean, I think both Jake Tapper and I think of it as a continuing project going forward. We already have more reporting that’s not in this book that we are still reporting out that we hope to include in future editions.
VITTERT: One of the things these days as you are about the hardest guy to book on TV and with good reason because reporting is proving to be accurate and important and also, Joe Biden’s out of office. When Joe Biden was in office, it was pretty easy to book you.
THOMPSON: Sure.
VITTERT: — about your reporting —
THOMPSON: Sure.
VITTERT: — especially want to talk about the short stairs to Air Force One, the sneakers, the 10-to-2 work hours all these things you are reporting. Nobody was willing to put it on TV because they want to talk about it.
THOMPSON: A lot of people weren’t, but you were.
VITTERT: Okay, well, thank you very much. That’s kind of what we do here. How much of this coverup conspiracy, whatever you all want to call it was made possible by a complicit media?
THOMPSON: Certainly, the media fell short and the biggest example of that is — if the media was on top of this, then Biden’s debate performance should not have been such a shock to so many people.
VITTERT: May not have even happened, right? He may not even decided to run had the media been aggressive in its reporting.
THOMPSON: Possible and you know, I think there —
VITTERT: When you reporting this, did people in his inner circle, did those that you talk to acknowledge that the media — were they surprised by how complicit the media was?
THOMPSON: You know, it was interesting. I had one conversation with someone — this ws after the election while we were reporting this book and — and this person said, listen, yes, we deserve blame for X, Y Z. We were hiding him. We were — but this person also sort of got in my face and they said, listen, the media deserve some blame, too. Like, we were sort of amazed at some of the stuff we were able to spin —
VITTERT: And get away with?
THOMPSON: — reporters on. They — they — in some ways —
VITTERT: They feel like the bank robber complaining —
THOMPSON: — yeah.
VITTERT: — the safe wasn’t locked —
THOMPSON: Yeah, yeah.
VITTERT: — or something?
THOMPSON: They’re just like, you guys — you guys should not have believed us so easily and I thought that was, like, a really interesting, but I also think that’s true. I think — I think the media in a lot of ways just was not skeptical enough and did not remember the lesson that they do it to different degrees, but every White House lies.
VITTERT: Fair enough.
