Top Reporter Blasts “Cover-Up” of Biden’s Health Struggles, Urges Media Reckoning

A leading political journalist rocked the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Saturday night, accusing the press—and himself—of failing the American public during Joe Biden’s final years in office.

Alex Thompson of Axios, accepting the prestigious Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence, didn’t mince words.

“President Biden’s decline, and the cover-up by those around him, is a brutal reminder that every White House, no matter the party, will mislead the public when it suits them,” Thompson said.

Speaking to a packed room of journalists, celebrities, and political insiders, Thompson admitted the media had missed warning signs about Biden’s cognitive struggles—and paid the price in public trust.

“We—myself included—missed a lot of the story,” he said. “Some people trust us less because of it. We bear responsibility for that.”

An Open Secret in Washington

The revelation comes as new accounts from inside Biden’s White House paint a chaotic and troubling picture of his final year in office.

In his upcoming book Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again—co-authored with CNN’s Jake Tapper—Thompson digs into how top aides scrambled to shield Biden from scrutiny.

Other reports back it up.

Chris Whipple’s Uncharted described a West Wing gripped by “delusion and denial.” The Wall Street Journal revealed staffers kept Biden’s meetings painfully short and tightly scripted to manage his growing confusion.

Privately, journalists admitted to frustration. After Biden’s fumbled debate performance last summer, reporters at the Daily Beast said the White House press team had “torched their credibility” by gaslighting them about the president’s condition.

A Moment of Reflection—and Warning

“I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust,” Thompson told the audience. “Being defensive destroys it.”

Thompson also defended the White House Correspondents’ Association itself, warning that the institution’s role is even more vital today as the Trump White House tightens its grip on information.

Since returning to power, Trump’s team has waged an open war on the free press. They seized control of the White House “pool” system that supplies daily coverage to all outlets, freezing out organizations like the Associated Press over perceived slights.

After a bitter legal battle, a judge finally ordered the Trump administration to reinstate the AP’s access—an extraordinary confrontation that underscored the stakes for press freedom.

“I believe our mission is vital,” Thompson said. “In a world where power is weaponized against the truth, we need an independent press more than ever.”

Biden Absent as New Chapter Begins

As Thompson spoke in Washington, Biden was thousands of miles away in Rome, attending the funeral of Pope Francis.

Photos captured a frail-looking Biden, 82, clutching a priest and First Lady Jill Biden for support while descending steps at St. Peter’s Square.

The images quickly reignited debate about Biden’s health—and the silence that once surrounded it.

With Trump gearing up for a brutal reelection fight, the media’s next test is already underway.

And this time, as Thompson warned, the press can’t afford to look the other way.