CNN’s Jake Tapper revealed that former President Joe Biden launched a targeted effort to persuade MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough of his fitness to run for re-election.

Tapper Says Biden Campaigned to Sway Scarborough

CNN anchor Jake Tapper stated on Wednesday that former President Joe Biden undertook a strategic effort to win over MSNBC host Joe Scarborough as part of his re-election messaging. Tapper made the comments during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe,” where he was promoting his new book, Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again, co-authored with Axios journalist Alex Thompson.

According to Tapper, Biden specifically focused on convincing Scarborough that he remained mentally sharp and capable of serving another term. “Joe Biden said to staffers that he wanted to convince you that you were wrong,” Tapper told Scarborough. “He focused on you like you were a constituency, like you were farmers in Iowa, like you were the Kiwanis Clubs in New Hampshire.”

Tapper characterized the effort as a deliberate internal campaign by the Biden team to showcase the president at his best, particularly to high-profile media figures. Scarborough, who previously voiced concerns over Biden’s re-election in light of a 2023 column by journalist David Ignatius, confirmed that he had indeed spoken with Biden during what he now believes were “good days.”

Scarborough Defends Praise of Biden’s Mental Acuity

The discussion was sparked in part by a viral clip of Scarborough’s emphatic defense of Biden, where he called him the “best Biden ever” in terms of intellectual and analytical capacity. “I think he’s better than he’s ever been,” Scarborough said in a March 2024 segment. “Start your tape right now because I’m about to tell you the truth. And f— you if you can’t handle the truth.”

Scarborough later clarified that while Biden may have appeared unsteady in some clips, that didn’t necessarily detract from his ability to make sound decisions. “He stumbled and bumbled around… but he has for quite some time,” he told political analyst Mark Halperin. “That didn’t seem to me to get in the way of Joe Biden being able to analyze the most important issues.”

Tapper noted that Scarborough’s meeting with Biden occurred at lunchtime, implying it was timed to ensure Biden would appear sharp and focused. MSNBC’s Willie Geist supported the notion, suggesting that Scarborough likely saw the president when he was well-rested and fully prepared.

The exchange between Tapper and Scarborough underscores the central theme of Tapper and Thompson’s new book, which contends that Biden’s inner circle engaged in calculated efforts to conceal signs of decline and shape public perception—especially among influential media voices.

As the 2024 election season intensifies, the book’s revelations raise further questions about transparency, media influence, and the calculated optics surrounding presidential fitness in a highly scrutinized political landscape.