Ailing Biden bombshell gives Maga a stick to beat mainstream media

Anger at press silence over mental decline of president who allegedly failed to recognise George Clooney

- Charlotte McDonald-Gibson

The sense of vindication in some corners of Washington is palpable: for years, the Maga movement has accused mainstream US media of conspiring to deny Donald Trump the presidency, and now they claim the evidence is finally out for all to see.

Original Sin, a new book by CNN anchor Jake Tapper and reporter Alex Thompson, alleges that Joe Biden's staff covered up the extent of his cognitive decline. Biden, now 82, did not recognise actor George Clooney at a fundraiser and forgot the names of key staff, the book claims, but his closest allies hid this to smooth his path to the 2024 election.

While the Democratic party is under fire for alleged complicity in this charade, another target is the mainstream print and broadcast media, which Trump and his allies have long accused of liberal bias and whose influence Trump has been working to erode.