The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Original Sin: The Five Communication Sins That Created the Biden Cover-Up

• Molly McPherson

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Jake Tapper’s new book Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again is making headlines; not just for what’s in it. The backlash, the omissions, the PR fallout—it’s all part of a larger failure in messaging that started long before the first leak.

In this episode, I’m breaking down the five communication sins at the core of the Biden cover-up. It’s not about politics. It’s about power, spin, and what happens when leaders forget that concealment is not strategy.

You’ll hear:

  • The five sins: from silencing to muting the messenger
  • The Tapper media tour misfire
  • Why crisis spin can’t beat truth—even with a teleprompter
  • How these same mistakes show up in boardrooms, campaigns, and C-suites

This isn’t about politics or who you voted for. It’s about what not to do when people are watching...and when they’re not.


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© 2025 The PR Breakdown with Molly McPherson

Molly McPherson:

Last week, cnn anchor Jake Tapper faced the backlash he likely anticipated when promoting his new book Original Sin President Biden's decline, its cover-up and his disastrous choice to run again. The criticism came from all sides Democrats, media commentators and late-night hosts alike. But where Tapper took the biggest hit, I felt, was during his appearance on the Megyn Kelly podcast. Kelly, formerly of Fox News and NBC News, cornered him with the kind of rhetorical flair she tries to be known for, demanding an apology on behalf of Laura Trump. This moment it landed with a force. It's reported that Tapper hired a crisis PR expert.

Clip:

And here's like why, first and foremost, I had no idea that Joe Biden ever suffered from a stutter. I think what we see on stage with Joe Biden, jake, is very clearly a cognitive decline. That's what I'm referring to. It makes me uncomfortable. You are so amazing You're trying to tell me that what I was suggesting was. I think you were mocking his stutter.

Clip:

Yeah, I think you were mocking his stutter and I think you have absolutely no standing to diagnose somebody's cognitive decline.

Clip:

And it's very concerning to a lot of people that this could be the leader of the free world. That is all I'm saying. I genuinely feel sorry for Joe Biden.

Clip:

I appreciate it. I'm sure it was from a place of concern. We all, we all believe that. Laura Trump, thank you so much.

Molly McPherson:

Tapper knew it was coming. If Biden's decline wasn't evident, why didn't you report it sooner? A fair question, especially for someone now making headlines for revealing what he didn't say. Then Enter my personal bias. If you agree to sit across from Megyn Kelly, you know what you're walking into Soundbites, receipts and if you're promoting a book that pulls back the curtain on a presidency you helped cover, you better be ready to answer for what you've left out. Original Sin is loaded with revelations.

Molly McPherson:

I loved this book, but what caught my attention was the cover-up itself. As a crisis manager, I work with leaders who try to do exactly what Biden's circle did bury the truth and hope. No one digs, but they always do. This week, I'm breaking down the five communication mistakes that led to what I call the original communication sins the missteps, the choices that turned concern into crisis. Welcome to the PR Breakdown, a podcast where we expose the spin, the cover-up and the cracks in communication behind today's headlines. I'm your host, molly McPherson.

Molly McPherson:

Did I read the book? No, because technically I listened to it. I started Original Sin on a flight to San Francisco to deliver a keynote on leadership and communication, and let me tell you this book was practically written for that stage. It's a case study in what not to do when your job is to inform, lead or protect a reputation. This book, which is currently at number two on the Amazon list of nonfiction bestsellers list of nonfiction bestsellers behind Mel Robbins, the Let them Theory and let me tell you, nothing drives me more crazy than seeing Mel Robbins at number one. Why do people buy this book? It's a compilation of other people's work, including Cassie Phillips, a 32-year-old military spouse, a mother of two, who wrote a poem titled Let them. But that's another misinformation campaign for another day.

Molly McPherson:

Back to the one in this book the Biden cover-up, tapper's book. He plenty of scrutiny on Biden's inner circle and the former president himself, but also the author, jake Tapper, co-author Alex Thompson, I think, is getting lost in the shuffle, which I assume he doesn't mind one bit, because there is a lot of backlash. But the revelations in the book also points a finger in the direction of Democratic leadership, president Biden himself, president Biden's family and staff for not revealing more about Biden's declining health. I'm not here to shed more light on those topics. There's plenty of content out there for you to chew on. I'm more interested in sharing what truly interested me about this book the machinations Now Tapper uses an alternative pronunciation machinations but it was the cover-up that got me because as a full-time crisis manager, I deal with leaders publicinations but it was the cover-up that got me Because, as a full-time crisis manager, I deal with leaders, public figures and sudden public figures who hire me to CYA cover their assumptions that hiding the truth is a wise strategy. It's not. In this episode I'm breaking down the five communication and leadership mistakes let's call them sins that led to the original sin of Biden throwing his hat into the ring for the 2024 election, because the details that Tapper and Thompson reveal that Biden likely couldn't muster the strength to toss anything. Like me, if you read the book and keep asking yourself how did they get away with the deception, the cover? It starts here Over half of US adults say they get some of their news from social media.

Molly McPherson:

This is from a Pew Research Center study from September 2024, and it points to the source Memes, viral videos, commentary influencers, spin clips, ai. People don't get their news from direct sources as much these days and that impacts elections. Now the positive of social media people are becoming more interested because of viral campaigns Think about Kamala Harris and falling out of a coconut tree More voters, younger voters. But the flip side with the proliferation of content available, it becomes more challenging to vet what is good information from misinformation and disinformation. That creates instability in politics and with 64% of the American population believing that the US democracy is in crisis and at risk of failing. Well, in this type of climate, a communication failure isn't just a mistake, it's a threat.

Molly McPherson:

Here are five original communication sins that I pulled out of the book. Number one obfuscation over honesty. The sin withholding or twisting the truth to preserve control. Examples Original sin provides numerous examples of how Biden's inner circle, even senior Democratic leadership, obscured the president's mental and physical decline. His closest aides, family members, created a carefully controlled environment that masked the president's limitations. Carefully controlled environment that masked the president's limitations.

Molly McPherson:

Public events were choreographed to a degree that went beyond routine political management. It was fascinating to hear how they cut time limits where he was speaking, where they brought in teleprompters, even into private fundraisers, in homes. Staff limited unscripted interactions where they could. They structured short engagements around Biden's energy dips and ensured photo ops conveyed strength. You saw those aviator glasses, but behind the scenes the reality was sobering. Biden was forgetting the names of longtime allies like his national security advisor, jake Sullivan, who he called Steve, or his longtime communication director, kate Bettenfield, who he called Press. He was stumbling during classified briefings. He even forgot the date of his son, beau's death.

Molly McPherson:

One source described the White House leadership as a five-person board, but there were a few other people in there that a lot of insiders were calling the Politburo. They were made up of a small, close-knit group of advisors, family members and senior aides who effectively ran the White House during Biden's presidency. They include Mike Donilon, a longtime strategist and senior advisor. Steve Ruschetti, counselor to the president. Bruce Reed, who was a domestic policy advisor and former chief of staff. The first lady, dr Jill Biden. There's Hunter Biden, of course, the president's son. He was very influential in discouraging his father from withdrawing from the 2024 race. Ron Klain he was the former White House Chief of Staff. Annie Tomasini she was a senior advisor and director of Oval Office Operations. And Anthony Bernal he was a senior advisor to the First Lady.

Molly McPherson:

It was this group of people, their willful ignorance and deliberate denial that created what Tapper and Thompson call the original sin, the fateful mistake that set off a chain of damaging consequences. The lesson here is that transparency isn't a luxury, it's a liability shield. Concealing is an issue, especially when it's about the health or leadership capacity of a president or a leader. It only delays the fallout and deepens public betrayal when the truth surfaces. Because the truth always does Two silencing, dissent, the sin, discrediting or ignoring internal or external concerns. Tapper and Thompson describe a sustained pattern of dismissing or silencing concerns both inside and outside the White House about Biden's cognitive functioning and his health. Reporters like Catherine Lucey from the Wall Street Journal were targeted by internal White House campaigns when questions were raised about Biden's performance. Aid and staffers who voiced concerns internally were described as alarmist and many were either reassigned or boxed out of meetings In Congress. Democratic leaders who questioned the strategy were told to stay silent for the good of the party. One anecdote recounts a senator who raised Biden's cognitive issues in a closed-door session, only to be rebuked. As quote giving Republicans a weapon. End quote In Special Counsel Robert Herr. The book goes deep into choosing Robert Herr and what happened to Robert Herr for being appointed special counsel. Her and what happened to Robert Herr for being appointed special counsel. In that testimony he describes Biden's memory issues and how it was treated as a betrayal rather than a warning and during a fundraiser. This was remarkable.

Molly McPherson:

In the book for Biden 2022, the president did not recognize George Clooney, despite their longstanding relationships that went back to a time when Biden was in the Senate. That eventually led to Clooney writing an op-ed calling out Biden's deteriorating memory and urging Biden to drop out of the race. Part of the Politburo Reschetti read the op-ed and was reportedly furious. Internally, it was said that he threatened to shut Clooney down, but he was talked out of it and some of the colleagues in the book said he sounded like a mob boss.

Molly McPherson:

The lesson Pushback is not the problem. Ignoring it is Respectful. Dissent is a check on blind spots. When leaders mute the messenger, they lose the message and the trust that came with it. Three loyalty over truth the sin valuing allegiance more than accuracy. Example Loyalty was both a shield and a blindfold in the Biden administration.

Molly McPherson:

The book illustrates how senior officials enabled an environment where feedback was filtered based on what the president would want to hear, not what he needed to know. One account describes aides privately acknowledging Biden's struggles but refusing to speak up during meetings. Okay, there are many accounts describing aides privately acknowledging Biden's struggles but refusing to speak up during meetings for fear of seeming disloyal. This Politburo-style structure around Biden became more about preserving access than challenging direction. And even when major donors and Democratic governors voiced concerns about the campaign strategy, the inner circle stood by the belief that Joe can do this without any evidence or accountability. There were moments in the presidency and in the campaign where Joe Biden was Biden, when he was empathetic, when he was sympathetic, when he could really connect with voters, but in the end he couldn't sustain it. The lesson if your inner circle is afraid to correct you, you don't have advisors anymore, you have enablers. Effective leaders foster environments where hard truths are welcomed, not punished.

Molly McPherson:

Four filtered feedback loops, the sin creating distance between reality and decision makers. Examples I couldn't believe, hearing this in the book, that policy briefings were often mediated by staff when they had transcriptions. Where Biden would get it wrong, they would strike the transcription and correct it. They edited, reframed poll results, scheduling decisions and performance reviews. Even data from key battleground states were routinely presented to Biden in a much rosier light. So it was advisors who felt had a better sense of public sentiment, better than public pollsters. Aides were filtering negative information and trends out of fear that a candid assessment to the president would derail the entire reelection strategy. In one account, biden remained convinced he was gaining traction in Arizona and Georgia, even as the internal models showed the opposite. It was so incredibly blatant and they got away with it. The lesson every filtered message makes a leader more reactive and less effective. This happens a lot. People don't want to tell the boss the truth, but unfiltered information good, bad or uncomfortable is like the oxygen of responsible decision-making.

Molly McPherson:

Five short-term wins, long-term damage, the sin, choosing optics over outcomes Examples Perhaps the most damaging effect of the cover-up outlined by Tapper and Thompson in the book was that it paved the way for Donald Trump's resurgence. Rather than reckon with Biden's limitations early, have a serious discussion with decisions about Biden's true ability to win an election, while being fully transparent about the failings, the health and cognitive failings. All the Politburo focused on visual optics. They created viral moments, carefully staged events, tight scripts. They filmed an ad. They put people together like in a town hall setting and they filmed Biden speaking from a teleprompter. And they tried over and over and over to make it work. In the end, they had to scrap the entire thing. Everything was highly structured and orchestrated.

Molly McPherson:

During overseas trips, biden's handlers blocked full press access and instead pushed these lighthearted interactions and human interest angles, the stunts that helped deflect scrutiny in the short term but did little to counter growing doubts. There was a really remarkable part where Biden was taking a train from Ukraine to Poland, I believe, and how exhausting that would be to do it. The book also details how Biden did not attend dinners and meals and meetings with other international leaders and presidents because they didn't think that he could handle it. Instead, they would send Anthony Blinken, the former secretary of state Sometimes he would get only a day's notice to attend an overseas meeting or meal on behalf of Biden. Meanwhile, people were suspicious. Major Democratic donors started to pull back. The allies distanced themselves. These global leaders they were still very cordial and public to Biden, but reportedly in the book there was a lot of contingency planning around US instability.

Molly McPherson:

The lesson short-term spin might buy time, but it sells out credibility Once stakeholders realize they've been misled. The crisis doesn't end, it metastasizes. The five original communication sins. Well, this is what happens when the cover-up becomes the crisis. And these aren't just White House problems, they're workplace problems, they're nonprofit board problems, they're corporate leadership problems. The playbook is always the same Deny, delay, deflect, discredit, then scramble. I know this. This is why I created my indestructible PR framework, my trademarked, indestructible PR, not the pending trademark of one Mel Robbins for the term. Let them. And then, if that gets through, you will soon be able to see stationary items, printed books in the field of self-help, self-improvement, self-development, personal development, motivation, relationships, confidence, mindset goals, health, wellness stickers. Let's move back to my framework. I did not steal it from a blog post. I created it to stop this type of cycle. You see, in a crisis Own it, explain it, promise it. That's how you neutralize a cover-up. That's how you rebuild credibility. It works. Want to hear it in action?

Clip:

Knowing what I know now, obviously I feel tremendous humility about my coverage that Laura Trump interview, for example, etc. She saw something that I did not see at the time, 100 percent and I own that.

Molly McPherson:

Did you hear it? So yes, tapper's getting flack, some of it fair, some of it not On Substack. Last week, during my Friday Fallout live chat every Friday when I'm in town I like to hop on Substack around noontime to highlight the PR fails or fallouts of the week. Last week I discussed Original Sin. You can find that video if you follow me on Substack. I shared why the Tapper-CNN hype issue left me with somewhat squishy feelings.

Molly McPherson:

Tapper especially, was getting a lot of blowback as a journalist, as a working journalist writing this book, hyping this book. Cnn, which published the book's rollout like a huge marquee event, has been accused of overhyping its own employees' project, its own employees project. Many people are saying that's not journalism. You can't do that. But you know it's brand synergy. It's a business. I understand the ethical tension. I don't dismiss it at all, but at the same time I get it. Meanwhile, cbs News lost two top executives Wendy McMahon, the head of the news division, and 60 Minutes executive producer Bill Owens. Why? Because Paramount, cbs's parent company, is navigating a political volatile merger with Skydance Media and Trump's legal team is now a stakeholder in that mediation. All of it adds up to this.

Molly McPherson:

Journalism isn't just about truth. Nowadays it's about platforms and profit and positioning. So, in short, content is currency and everyone yes, even legacy anchors are now content creators. The lines between storytelling you attempt to spin or hide information from your key stakeholders. You are only left naked and exposed If you work in a place where truth gets filtered, forwarded or outright ignored. Go ahead, send this episode to the person who needs to hear it. Leave a review. Let me know the most helpful idea from today's episode, or you can share it directly with me on Substack or under a blog post where I am posting this list. So you can check that out. At prbreakdownmedia, I have a chat open right now with members of the group to get their take on the book, the cover-up and who took the biggest hit in the book. You can see my answer in the chat. Again, it's open to my sub stacks of subscribers, so I hope to see your answer there. That's all for this week on the podcast. Bye for now.

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