Alex Thompson: “President Biden’s decline and its coverup by the people around him is a reminder that every White House regardless of party is capable of deception…We, myself included, missed a lot of this story and some people trust us less because of it.”

On 4/26/2025, Journalist Alex Thompson called out the press for failing to properly report on former President Joe Biden’s declining health at the White House Correspondents’ Dinner. Thompson, a reporter for Axios, accepted the White House Correspondents’ Association’s Aldo Beckman Award for Overall Excellence in White House Coverage. His reporting closely documented Biden’s disastrous debate performance against President Donald Trump, the events leading up to it, and Biden’s eventual decision to exit the race. In his acceptance speech, Thompson acknowledged that the press fell short in covering the story of Biden’s decline.

“Being truth tellers also means telling the truth about ourselves. We, myself included, missed a lot of this story,” Thompson said, speaking before a room of journalists from major news outlets. He added, “President Biden’s decline and its cover-up by the people around him is a reminder that every White House, regardless of party, is capable of deception.” Thompson said the media’s failure to investigate and report more aggressively on Biden’s condition contributed to growing public distrust of journalism.

“Some people trust us less because of it,” he said. “We bear some responsibility for faith in the media being at such lows. I say this because acknowledging errors builds trust, and being defensive about them further erodes it.” He concluded with a stark admission: “We should have done better.”

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Biden’s decline & its coverup Aldo Beckman Award, Thompson called out press for failing to report