Former NBC anchor Chuck Todd recently acknowledged a widespread reluctance within the media to rigorously question former President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities during the 2024 election cycle. This hesitancy, he admitted on “Piers Morgan Uncensored,” stemmed from a fear that scrutiny of Biden would inadvertently benefit his political rival, Donald Trump.
When asked by Morgan why news organizations appeared hesitant to probe Biden’s age and apparent decline – something many observers had noticed – Todd initially defended the media’s actions. He argued that coverage, while not explicitly focused on the issue, subtly drew attention to these concerns through observations like Biden’s avoidance of stairs or his limited interview appearances.
“We were subtle,” Todd explained. “He’s using the back staircase; he’s not doing interviews.” He conceded that there was a deliberate holding back, a reluctance to draw direct conclusions about Biden’s fitness for office.
Todd pointed out that concerns weren’t entirely absent within the media itself, citing Washington Post columnist David Ignatius who publicly urged Biden to step aside in September 2023. However, he attributed the overall restraint to a deeper-seated anxiety.
“I understand the argument about the collective on that front,” Todd continued. “The only thing I can chalk it up to is this — whatever you want to call it — this fear that some members of the media had sometimes that they would be perceived as helping Trump if they somehow diminished Biden.” He added, “And I think this has been the fundamental mistake that many members of the traditional press have done.”
Todd further criticized past media decisions, citing the effort to de-platform Trump from social media platforms following the January 6th Capitol riot. He argued that this action violated Trump’s First Amendment rights and ultimately damaged the credibility of mainstream media.
“It looks more obvious today,” Todd stated. “Because what did he do? He built his own information ecosystem, and now traditional media is showing up on YouTube.”
These revelations come amid the release of several new books detailing concerns about Biden’s cognitive state, voiced privately by Democrats well before the 2024 election.
As reported in Chris Whipple’s “Uncharted: How Trump Beat Biden, Harris, and the Odds in the Wildest Campaign in History,” Representative Nancy Pelosi reportedly expressed shock at Biden’s appearance following a White House meeting in May 2024.
“He was not the same Joe Biden,” she purportedly told a friend. “She couldn’t shake the realization that Joe Biden was a shadow of himself.”
Yet, just weeks later, Pelosi publicly denounced a Wall Street Journal article detailing similar concerns as a “hit piece,” according to Whipple’s book.
The situation highlights a disconnect between private anxieties and public pronouncements regarding Biden’s fitness for office.
- Several books have revealed Democrats privately questioned Biden’s cognitive abilities.
- Chuck Todd admitted the media was hesitant to scrutinize Biden due to fear of appearing to help Trump.
- Nancy Pelosi reportedly expressed concerns about Biden’s condition but publicly defended him against reporting on those same concerns.
