CNN anchor Jake Tapper is under fire after comments made during a recent podcast appearance where he admitted Biden’s aides had difficulty detecting his mental decline — because, in Tapper’s words, the former president “always” seemed cognitively weak.

Speaking with Sam Harris on the “Making Sense” podcast, Tapper described a disturbing environment where Biden’s inner circle allegedly struggled to recognize that anything had changed because his confusion, gaffes, and inappropriate behavior were simply par for the course.

“I’ve known of him since the ’80s,” Tapper said. “And he’s always been gaffe-prone, long-winded, says inappropriate things — like that’s always been him.”

Tapper and Axios reporter Alex Thompson just released their book, Original Sin, which details how Biden’s staff actively concealed his mental and physical deterioration during his presidency. The book makes explosive claims about senior officials insulating Biden from public scrutiny and even from some members of his own Cabinet.

During the podcast, Tapper explained how the president’s erratic behavior — forgetfulness, incoherent stories, bizarre statements — was long-standing and, therefore, not initially seen as alarming.

Tapper even acknowledged that when Biden “would show up more and more” in what he called “non-functioning” moments in 2019 and 2020, staffers still weren’t sure what was happening.

“They weren’t sure what was going on,” Tapper said, because Biden was “always kind of prone to some of this behavior even when he was in fighting form… long-winded, pointless stories, forgetting names, gaffes, lies — all those things.”

While Tapper’s candor might appear like journalistic honesty, critics say it sounds more like retroactive damage control. After all, CNN and other legacy outlets spent years downplaying or outright dismissing concerns about Biden’s mental state — often labeling them “conspiracies” or “cheap shots” from Trump and his allies.

That illusion has finally crumbled in recent weeks as the media is now forced to confront the reality — especially after Biden’s personal office revealed on Sunday that the former president had been diagnosed with a severe form of prostate cancer that has metastasized to the bone.

That announcement came after years of secrecy and mounting speculation. Now it appears the same deception was taking place with Biden’s cognitive health — and the media’s favorite excuse is: “Well, he always seemed like this.”

The record backs up Tapper’s point, even if it doesn’t excuse the lack of transparency. Biden’s history of bizarre statements, racial gaffes, and confused behavior spans decades. In 2006, he infamously remarked that Delawareans couldn’t go to a 7-11 or Dunkin Donuts without hearing an “Indian accent.” In 2008, he referred to Barack Obama as the “first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean.” And during his first presidential run in 1988, he was caught plagiarizing speeches and exaggerating his academic record.

But now, the stakes are different. This isn’t an aging senator embarrassing himself in front of a few reporters. This was the sitting president of the United States, signing laws, issuing pardons, directing military operations — while his staff allegedly couldn’t tell if he was “off” because he always seemed that way.

Tapper’s admission is the latest in a wave of media self-reckoning over how Biden’s presidency was portrayed. It’s also a reminder that the people who claimed to be holding the government accountable were, in some cases, the same people helping to hide its most serious failures.

Now that Biden’s condition has been laid bare — both mentally and physically — the American public is asking: How much was covered up? How long did it go on? And who was really running the country?

One thing is certain: the media’s belated honesty isn’t earning them much credit. As Tapper’s interview makes clear, they were never truly in the dark — they just chose not to see the light.