The Hypocrisy of Competency: Examining the Double Standard in Presidential Scrutiny

In May, CNN's Jake Tapper released his tell-all book, Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again. Co-authored with Alex Thompson, the book alleges that President Joe Biden's cognitive decline was deliberately hidden by Democratic insiders, a deception that ultimately contributed to his 2024 election loss. Hailed by some journalists as a wake-up call, the book has ignited debate about transparency and leadership. But while Tapper and Thompson combed through sources to expose Biden's supposed incompetence, they've largely ignored the glaring reality: the current president, Donald Trump, exhibits consistent signs of mental confusion and erratic decision-making. If Tapper truly wanted to investigate a president's cognitive fitness and a party's complicity in covering it up, he wouldn't have to look far—Trump's daily behavior provides ample evidence.

So why has Trump's daily display of confusion been met with silence from the same media voices now calling Biden unfit? Trump has repeatedly mispronounced names, forgotten where he was speaking, demonstrated a lack of understanding of basic terms, and appointed some of the most underqualified individuals to key positions in U.S. history. Yet, the Republican Party—particularly MAGA loyalists—continues to defend or downplay his most glaring mistakes and willful ignorance. With such a troubling record, it's puzzling that a journalist from one of the world's most respected news networks would choose to write a scathing exposé on a former president while ignoring the dangerous incompetence of the one currently in office.

Some of Trump's more recent blunders include repeatedly mispronouncing the name of his loyalist ally Elon Musk's company as "Tesler"—despite the brand's global recognition. He also bizarrely claimed that Americans need a government-issued ID to buy "groceries," suggesting a fundamental misunderstanding of everyday life. Perhaps most infamously, Trump once stated that George Washington's army "took over the airports" during the Revolutionary War. This war occurred more than a century before the invention of airplanes. Yet these ignorant and historically inaccurate claims rarely spark concern among Republican leaders. Instead, they're often dismissed as jokes, spun as fake news, or simply ignored altogether.

Trump makes no secret of his authoritarian intentions. Give him credit—he often tells you exactly what he plans to do. Whether it's floating the idea of a third term, suggesting his face belongs on Mount Rushmore, or threatening to deploy the military against American citizens, he lays the groundwork out loud. And every time, his loyalists brush it off with a smirk, insisting, "The President is obviously joking." That is—until he follows through with some version of the very thing he claimed to be joking about.

Beyond verbal blunders, Trump's judgment was equally troubling when it came to staffing key government positions. He consistently prioritized loyalty over qualifications, appointing individuals who often lacked the necessary expertise for their roles. Pete Hegseth, a Fox News commentator considered for major cabinet posts, publicly declared on Fox & Friends in February 2019: "Germs are not a real thing. I can't see them, therefore they're not real." He also admitted, "I don't really wash my hands ever," suggesting he hadn't washed his hands in a decade.

Similarly, Kash Patel—a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes and later a senior official in Trump's national security circle—gained notoriety for promoting debunked conspiracy theories, including the false claim that the Russia investigation was a "deep state" plot against Trump. He was later installed in key intelligence roles during Trump's lame-duck period, despite bipartisan concern about his lack of experience and overt political bias.

Linda McMahon, former head of the Small Business Administration, reportedly confused "AI" with "A1" during a tech policy panel in April 2025 at the ASU+GSV Summit.

One of the most infamous and persistent lies pushed by Trump and his inner circle is the false claim that the 2020 presidential election was rigged. Despite dozens of court rulings, bipartisan audits, and statements from Trump's own former officials affirming the integrity of the election, the former president has refused to concede the truth. Even more troubling, many of his closest allies, when placed under oath, have repeatedly dodged or outright refused to acknowledge that Joe Biden lawfully and legally won the 2020 election. This refusal to affirm a basic democratic fact reveals not just partisan bias, but a willful assault on reality—one that continues to erode public trust in our institutions.

For all the noise mocking Biden's age and presumed mental lapses, the man actually got things done—and in a big way. Under his watch, the American Rescue Plan launched the strongest post-pandemic recovery in U.S. history, creating over 16 million jobs, slashing child poverty, and delivering the lowest unemployment rate in more than 50 years. He then followed that up with the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (November 2021), unleashing $1.2 trillion on roads, bridges, broadband expansion, and clean-energy infrastructure. In 2022, Biden pushed through the CHIPS and Science Act—supercharging U.S. semiconductor production with $280 billion—and the Inflation Reduction Act, the largest climate investment in U.S. history, slashing prescription drug costs, and empowering the IRS to crack down on corporate tax cheats. On top of that, he capped insulin at $35/month for seniors, brought the U.S. back into the Paris climate agreement, protected same-sex and interracial marriage, and confirmed a record crop of diverse federal judges. That's not a marquee presidency—it's a working presidency. And yet, commentary on Biden's missteps often overshadows this record of real-world results.

Funny enough, with all of Biden's accomplishments during his time as president, you'd think that might make a good book. But Jake Tapper decided that Biden's real "crime" was simply getting older. It's just another example of Democrats shooting themselves in the foot—again. They're the party that champions compassion, humanity, and the idea that people make mistakes. Yet they're often the first to turn on their own the moment someone slips up. One bad day, one awkward moment, one poorly chosen word—and suddenly the pitchforks come out. Actors get dropped from projects, strong public servants are forced to resign, and teachers are driven out of the classroom—not for malice, but for being human.

This self-sabotaging instinct among Democrats—and the media that often amplifies it—only helps the very forces they claim to oppose. While liberals turn on their own over awkward moments and minor mistakes, the Republican Party has rallied behind a man who's openly attacked democratic institutions, spread election lies, and surrounded himself with conspiracy theorists. The imbalance is staggering. One side devours itself for being imperfect; the other embraces chaos, criminality, and incompetence—and calls it strength. So when Jake Tapper decides to write a book about Biden's decline instead of Trump's unraveling, it doesn't just feel like a missed opportunity—it feels complicit in a much larger failure to recognize where the real threat lies.