We were told to follow the science. We were told to trust the media. We were told the “adults” were back in charge.

Now, after years of narratives that often disguised more than they revealed, two prominent figures — CNN anchor Jake Tapper and former White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre — have released books that strategically admit what much of the public already knew: The full truth wasn’t offered when it mattered most.

Redemption begins with humility, not a hardcover release date.

Tapper’s new book, “Original Sin,” co-authored with Axios’ Alex Thompson, presents itself as a political thriller. But its real value lies in what it reveals — consciously or not — about the political and media class’ calculated suppression of uncomfortable truths.

According to Tapper’s reporting, President Joe Biden’s inner circle was “rattled” by his apparent mental and physical decline — yet worked to shield it from being seen by the public. The book describes a White House where denial wasn’t just a strategy — it was a requirement.

‘Truth’ grifters

The Wall Street Journal described “Original Sin” as capturing “a conspiracy in plain view” — a culture in which aides and allies chose silence over honesty, spin over transparency, and, ultimately, their own job security over the voters’ right to know.

This admission, coming now in 2025, would land differently had Tapper not been one of the very voices leading the national chorus of “nothing to see here!” In fact, many of the same journalists now embracing post hoc honesty were the ones who derided and dismissed concerns about the president’s cognitive health as partisan smear or conspiracy theory.

And the American people noticed.

Despite extensive promotion across CNN and various media platforms, “The Lead with Jake Tapper” experienced its lowest ratings since August 2015. According to Nielsen data, the program averaged only 525,000 total viewers between April 28 and May 25, marking a 25% decline from the same period last year. This significant drop occurred despite the high-profile release of “Original Sin” and an accompanying media tour, the New York Post reported.

The book is following a similar trajectory, having only sold just over 54,000 copies in its first week of release. Compare that to Bob Woodward’s “Fear: Trump in the White House,” which sold over 1 million copies its first week.

Cue Ronald Reagan’s famous line, “There you go again,” as Jean-Pierre’s forthcoming memoir, “Independent,” also seeks to reframe her time in the public eye. From her position behind the White House lectern, Jean-Pierre frequently repeated talking points that proved to be misleading or outright false. She insisted the border was secure, the economy was strong, and the president was sharp — all while video clips, inflation rates, and rising crime told another story.

In fairness, press secretaries are paid to spin. But spin becomes something more troubling when it is used to insulate a president from basic scrutiny — or when it misleads the public during moments of national consequence. If Jean-Pierre is now prepared to acknowledge the strain of carrying water for bad policies, that would be welcome. But the timing — conveniently aligned with a book launch — raises an unavoidable question: Why didn’t the truth matter until it could be monetized?

I believe in second chances. I believe in forgiveness. But as someone who also believes in responsibility and truth-telling, I have little patience for public figures who withhold candor until the book advance clears. Redemption begins with humility, not a hardcover release date.

If Tapper and Jean-Pierre had come forward years ago — if they had endured the risk of telling the truth in real time — they might be worth celebrating. But this isn’t courage. It’s career rehab.

An actual truth-teller

Now consider someone like Tulsi Gabbard.

As a sitting Democratic congresswoman and presidential candidate in 2020, Gabbard called out her own party for embracing censorship, racial essentialism, and permanent war. She stood on a debate stage and denounced what she called “an elitist cabal of warmongers,” earning the scorn of her colleagues and the legacy media. Hillary Clinton even baselessly smeared her as a Russian asset. Gabbard didn’t wait for the polling to shift or a book contract to come through — she risked her future in real time.

Eventually, she left the Democratic Party, but not before paying a price for telling some highly inconvenient truths. That’s what integrity looks like. You don’t wait for the winds to change — you stand firm when they blow hardest.

Contrast Gabbard with Tapper and Jean-Pierre. Their books reveal what many Americans suspected: that much of what we were told during the Biden years — from the state of the president’s health to the “success” of his policies — was concocted more for optics than accuracy.

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Photo by Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

But their revelations come not from principle, but from convenience. It’s safe to speak out now. The public mood has shifted. Their platforms are shrinking. The political protection is gone.

America continues to suffer the consequences of schools closed, churches locked, speech silenced, borders breached, and families squeezed by inflation. These outcomes weren’t accidental. Leaders defended them at the time, then later pretended they had known better all along. They chose opportunism over accountability.

The darker concern runs even deeper: This cycle has become routine. Politicians and pundits lie or mislead while the incentives favor silence. They play along when it pays. Then, when the polls shift and the public turns sour, they rebrand — posing as truth-tellers who claim they always had doubts, always saw what others missed.

Next come the book deals, podcast tours, and cushy contributor gigs.

We now live in a country where consequences get outsourced and apologies turn into revenue. Lie when it’s profitable. Confess when it sells. And hope the public forgets who helped dig the hole in the first place.

But many of us do remember. We, the people, remember.

If Tapper and Jean-Pierre want to make amends, they should start with a simple, unqualified apology — not to their publishers or media friends, but to the American people. The public paid the price for the misinformation they amplified and defended. That’s who deserves the truth now.