Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) has found himself squarely in the political crosshairs this week after refusing to answer direct questions about President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline—an issue thrust back into the national spotlight by the newly released book Original Sin, co-authored by CNN’s Jake Tapper and Axios’s Alex Thompson. The book chronicles the behind-the-scenes effort by Democratic power brokers to conceal Biden’s condition during the lead-up to the 2024 election, and Schumer’s role in those efforts is now under intense scrutiny.
During a CNN interview with anchor Kasie Hunt, Schumer was asked point-blank whether he had known about Biden’s declining mental acuity before the now-infamous June debate. Instead of engaging, Schumer opted for deflection: “We’re looking forward,” he said, twice, quickly shifting to broader issues like Medicaid cuts and government funding fights.
.@SenSchumer on reports of former President Biden’s cognitive decline while on the campaign trail: “We’re looking forward.”@kasie: “That’s it?”
Schumer: “That’s it.” pic.twitter.com/otAWpKuKQ8— The Arena on CNN (@TheArenaCNN) May 13, 2025
Hunt pressed again, citing the core argument of Original Sin—that Biden’s insistence on staying in the race, despite growing incapacity, led directly to Donald Trump’s re-election. Still, Schumer refused to address the question, avoiding any admission or explanation of his involvement.
The exchange has been widely criticized as emblematic of the Democratic leadership’s unwillingness to be transparent with the American people. And it’s not just conservatives who are taking aim.
NBC analyst Chuck Todd, a veteran of Meet the Press, was visibly furious during a subsequent panel, calling Schumer’s response “absurd” and accusing Democratic leaders and Biden’s inner circle of orchestrating a calculated deception. “He is among the people that are responsible for this,” Todd said, arguing that party elites and White House staff should be held accountable for not sounding the alarm sooner.
It’s a good thing @jaketapper and @AlexThomp kept it to themselves until it didn’t matter anymore https://t.co/vS4Bu4ZNnl
— jimtreacher.substack.com (@jtLOL) May 13, 2025
Todd’s frustration was underscored by his claim that members of the media were tipped off “a couple of years ago” by high-level officials regarding Biden’s declining health. “Now you tell us?” he asked, underscoring what many Americans now see as a coordinated cover-up.
Todd’s anger, however, didn’t spare his own industry. Despite his blistering criticism of Schumer and other Democrats, he tried to carve out a defense for the media, saying it was not their failure but the party’s. That argument has drawn sharp rebuke from conservative commentators and independent journalists alike, who note that CNN and Axios—both outlets involved in Original Sin—actively downplayed Biden’s visible struggles for years.
Jake Tapper once attributed Biden’s speaking issues to a lifelong stutter. After the disastrous June debate, Axios reported that the president merely had a cold. Yet now, the same journalists who shielded Biden are promoting a book that claims to “expose” the very thing they helped to conceal.
CNN’s @kasie Hunt to Chuck Schumer: “Did you really not have any idea that Biden was “not fit to serve a second term?”
Schumer: *refuses to answer* pic.twitter.com/misRQOnd9F
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) May 13, 2025
The fallout for Democrats is already visible in the polls. As Original Sin continues to spark conversation, public trust in party leadership has cratered. Even progressive figures like Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez voiced concern about Biden’s capacity years ago—comments that, in hindsight, appear prophetic.
At the heart of this firestorm is the growing realization that for years, senior Democratic officials and their media allies may have knowingly propped up a president who was no longer mentally fit to serve—while letting an unelected circle of aides quietly take the reins of executive power.
