Opinion Today: Jake Tapper and Ezra Klein talk Biden and political groupthink

On refusing to see what's right in front of your eyes.

View in browser|nytimes.com May 22, 2025 By Ezra Klein Opinion Columnist Back in February 2024, I wrote a series of columns arguing that President Joe Biden should not — could not — run for re-election, and that Democrats should choose a replacement at an open convention. Democrats near Biden responded with fury. Since then, we've learned a lot more about lapses and struggles Biden had behind the scenes. We also all saw the first 2024 presidential debate and Biden's exit from the race. And for many, a new conventional wisdom cohered: This was a cover-up. Democrats knew how bad it was and kept it from us. But is that true? Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson's new book is called "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again." So you can see where they come down in this debate. And the book is coming out at an awkward moment: Biden just announced that he has metastatic prostate cancer. What's the point of dredging all this back up? But I think there is a point. Before Biden's announcement, I spoke to Tapper about the book and about the ways in which I think that a coverup would be an almost more comforting explanation for the groupthink and denial that characterized Democrats in this period. There is a question in here that is relevant beyond just Biden: How do you see what is right in front of your eyes when you very much don't want to see it? Read, watch or listen here: The New York Times The Ezra Klein Show How Groupthink Protected Biden and Re-elected Trump Was there a Joe Biden cover-up? Jake Tapper examines the people and institutions that made the former president's re-election campaign possible. 1 HR 20 MIN LISTEN Here's what we're focusing on today: Editors' Picks Guest Essay A South African Grift Lands in the Oval Office White Afrikaners are Trump's kind of oppressed minority. By Richard Poplak More From Opinion David French The Man Who Knew When to Step Down David Souter set an example more leaders should follow. By David French Guest Essay Republicans Will Use Paperwork to Kick Americans Off Health Care Paperwork is an intentional burden. By Pamela Herd and Donald P. Moynihan Guest Essay The Profound Inhumanity of ICE Raids Most of us still know cruelty when we see it. And we cannot let cruelty stand. By Margaret Renkl The Opinions Are We in a New Era of Presidential Regalism? Carlos Lozada and Aaron Retica on what two damning books on Biden reveal about the American presidency. 27 MIN LISTEN Guest Essay Trump's Dangerous Obsession With the Panama Canal By pushing Panama's president for one concession after the next, Trump is weakening a government closely aligned with the United States. By Will Freeman Guest Essay The World Now Has a Word(le)-Loving Pope Pope Leo's fluency in English, Spanish and Italian will help him govern the global church — and the Vatican. By Greg Burke Nicholas Kristof Three Well-Tested Ways to Undermine an Autocrat Dissidents around the world have plenty of experience challenging authoritarian regimes. Here are their secrets. By Nicholas Kristof David Wallace-Wells Why Are So Many People Sure Covid Leaked From a Lab? The shifting consensus says more about our politics than the science of Covid. By David Wallace-Wells letters Cuts in Research, and a Scientist Brain Drain Readers discuss the Trump administration's effects on American research and science. Also: Joe Biden's cancer; what Democrats need; false manhood. Jessica Grose Don't Let 'Pronatalists' Define What's Family-Friendly Pronatalist policies are unsupported by data, too narrow and, frankly, weird. By Jessica Grose We hope you've enjoyed this newsletter, which is made possible through subscriber support. Subscribe to The New York Times. Games Here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle and Spelling Bee. If you're in the mood to play more, find all our games here. Forward this newsletter to friends to share ideas and perspectives that will help inform their lives. They can sign up here. Do you have feedback? Email us at opiniontoday@nytimes.com. If you have questions about your Times account, delivery problems or other issues, visit our Help Page or contact The Times. If you received this newsletter from someone else, subscribe here. Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Opinion Today newsletter from The New York Times. To stop receiving Opinion Today, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018