Leavitt to Doocy: “Not Just the President — These Are Facts Now Being Revealed” on Biden Staffer Cover-Up; MAHA Report Four Factors: Poor Diet, Chemicals, Lack of Activity, Overmedicalization; AG Bondi on Israeli Embassy Staffer Killings: “Prosecuted to Fullest Extent”

Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt addressed multiple significant stories in a May 2025 briefing. To Peter Doocy’s question about Trump’s claim that unelected Biden staffers concealed his decline for personal gain: “That’s not just the president thinking that, Peter. There’s a new book out. Again, a little bit too late because the American people knew the truth from the very beginning. These are facts that are now finally being revealed.” On the MAHA Commission Report’s findings: “The report identifies four major factors contributing to the rise in childhood chronic disease: number one, poor diet, ultra-processed foods dominating our children’s diets; environmental chemical exposure, plastics and other chemicals; lack of physical activity and chronic stress, technology-driven lifestyles; and over-medicalization that’s taking place in our American society. Nowhere else in the world.” Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the Israeli Embassy staffer killings: “We will follow the facts, we will follow the law, and this defendant, if charged, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The Biden Cover-Up Discussion

Peter Doocy’s question framed Trump’s claim about the Biden presidency.

“And President Trump says he basically thinks unelected Biden staffers concealed his decline so that they could use the levers of power for their own personal gain,” Doocy asked.

Leavitt’s response was extensive: “Well, look, that’s not just the president thinking that, Peter. There’s a new book out. I don’t know if any of you have heard about it.”

She connected it to public awareness: “Again, a little bit too late because the American people knew the truth on this from the very beginning.”

She offered credit to some reporters: “And there were reporters in this room, including some from your network, Peter. I’ll give you a little bit of credit here, who have said that clearly Joe Biden’s staffers were engaging in this cover-up.”

She stated the conclusion: “This is common sense. This isn’t the president making it up. These are facts that are now finally being revealed.”

The “new book” Leavitt referenced was “Original Sin” by Jake Tapper and Alex Thompson, published in May 2025. The book documented extensively how Biden’s inner circle had managed and concealed his cognitive decline from press, public, and even other Democratic officials. The book had included specific incidents, named specific senior staff members, and provided documentary evidence from multiple sources.

Key revelations in the book included: Meeting management: Senior staff had controlled which officials and donors were allowed to meet Biden, based on who would report problems versus who would remain discreet.

Document management: Staff had increasingly made decisions about what documents would be presented to Biden and how material would be framed, recognizing his limited capacity for review.

Communication management: Written communications had been drafted with simplified language and shorter sentences to accommodate declining reading comprehension.

Public event management: Public events had been structured to minimize spontaneous interaction, with scripted responses and carefully controlled environments.

Medical concealment: Medical information had been shared selectively, with key physicians’ assessments never reaching full public disclosure.

The Hur Report of 2024 (concerning Biden’s handling of classified documents) had hinted at what “Original Sin” documented in detail. Hur had described Biden as “a well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and had declined to recommend prosecution partly because juries would not convict an obviously impaired defendant.

”Personal Gain”

The “personal gain” element of Trump’s critique was the most serious. The claim was not merely that staffers had concealed Biden’s condition out of loyalty or protectiveness, but that they had done so to exercise executive power themselves.

If true, this would represent a constitutional crisis. The Constitution designates the elected president as the executive. If unelected staff members were making executive decisions while Biden was effectively incapacitated, then:

• Executive actions taken under his name lacked constitutional legitimacy
• Pardons issued through the auto-pen might be invalid
• Judicial nominations made in his name might be subject to challenge
• Military decisions might lack proper chain of command
• Domestic policy choices had been made by unaccountable officials

The “personal gain” aspect suggested that staffers were not just running the executive branch without authority, but were doing so in ways that benefited themselves personally. This could include:

• Directing federal contracts to connected companies
• Making personnel decisions that advanced political allies
• Using executive power to settle political scores
• Shaping regulatory decisions to benefit favored interests
• Making international decisions that served specific factional interests

The ongoing investigations into the Biden administration’s conduct — at federal and potentially state levels — would eventually produce documentary evidence of specific decisions. If staffer-driven decision-making could be documented, the implications for American constitutional order would be substantial.

The MAHA Report: Four Factors

Leavitt pivoted to the Make America Healthy Again Commission report.

“We held a call earlier today with Secretary Kennedy, Secretary Rawlins, Administrator Zeldin, and other officials at Health and Human Services to talk about the gravity of this report,” Leavitt said.

She described the timeline: “When the president took office, he promised to make this country healthy again. And the president signed an executive order directing this commission. And now, less than 100 days later, the commission is delivering this report. It’s another promise made and another promise kept.”

She previewed the four factors: “The report identifies four major factors that are contributing to the rise in childhood chronic disease.”

Factor 1 - Poor Diet: “A robust discussion about ultra-processed food that are dominating our children’s diets.”

Ultra-processed food consumption had grown from approximately 20% of calories in the 1960s to over 60% of calories for American children in 2025. The transformation of the American food supply — from whole foods to industrially processed alternatives — had occurred over roughly three generations. Research had increasingly implicated ultra-processed foods in:

• Obesity and metabolic disease
• Cardiovascular disease
• Some cancers
• Mental health problems including depression
• Gut microbiome disruption
• Inflammation-related conditions

Factor 2 - Environmental Chemical Exposure: “Plastics and other chemicals that are unfortunately a part of our daily American life.”

The ubiquity of plastics and petrochemicals in daily American life had created unprecedented chemical exposures. Key concerns included:

• Phthalates and bisphenols as endocrine disruptors
• Microplastics contamination of food and water supplies
• PFAS “forever chemicals” in water and products
• Pesticide residues in conventional food supply
• Heavy metals in various products and water sources
• Industrial chemical contamination of soil and water

Factor 3 - Lack of Physical Activity and Chronic Stress: “Technology-driven lifestyles are contributing to the decline of our children’s physical and mental health.”

American children had experienced dramatic declines in physical activity:

• Reduced physical education in schools
• Less unstructured outdoor play
• More time in car-based transportation vs. walking/cycling
• Massive increase in screen time
• Sleep disruption from electronic devices
• Chronic stress from social media exposure

Factor 4 - Over-medicalization: “Nowhere else in the world, but just right here in the United States of America.”

American children received more medical interventions than children in any peer nation:

• Most childhood vaccines in the world
• Most antibiotic prescriptions in childhood
• Most stimulant prescriptions (Adderall, Ritalin, Vyvanse)
• Most antidepressant prescriptions for children
• Most psychiatric diagnoses in childhood
• Most medical procedures in childhood

Many of these interventions had clear benefits in specific cases, but the cumulative effect of aggressive medicalization had not been systematically studied. The MAHA Commission was raising questions that traditional medical institutions had been reluctant to investigate.

”This Is Not Just a Health Crisis”

Leavitt framed the report’s significance broadly.

“This is not just a crisis, a health crisis, but it poses national security implications as well,” Leavitt said. “And this administration is focused on ensuring we understand why.”

She emphasized the government recognition: “Again, this is the first time the federal government has really recognized in a single report that we have a problem in our country. Our children are getting sicker, not healthier.”

The national security framing was important. Military recruitment had been falling, partly because too many potential recruits were unfit for service due to obesity, chronic conditions, mental health issues, or drug use. The Department of Defense had reported that approximately 77% of American young adults were ineligible for military service in one way or another.

A country whose military recruitment pool was three-quarters ineligible for service had serious national security problems regardless of other factors. American military readiness depended on a healthy population able to serve. Declining American health was therefore a national security issue, not just a health policy issue.

The Unifying Appeal

Leavitt tried to rise above partisanship.

“I don’t care what your politics are,” Leavitt said, “we should all agree that we want our children to be healthy and safe and we want our food supply to be healthy and safe.”

She praised American producers: “We have the best farmers and ranchers in the world right here in the United States of America and we have the best workers in the world. We have the best people in the world.”

She stated the problem: “But unfortunately we have a health crisis that’s been plaguing us for too long and this report speaks to the heart of it.”

The “I don’t care what your politics are” framing was strategic. Children’s health was an issue where Democrats and Republicans could potentially find agreement. Parents across political spectrums wanted their children healthy. The specific policy solutions might differ, but the underlying goal was universal.

Bondi on the Israeli Embassy Staffers

Attorney General Pam Bondi addressed the May 21, 2025 killing of two Israeli Embassy staff members in Washington, D.C.

The incident had occurred outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where the Israeli couple had been attending an event. A gunman had shouted anti-Israel slogans before firing, killing both members of the couple. The attack had been classified as a hate crime and terrorism.

Bondi’s statement was measured but firm: “Everyone in Washington, D.C., state, local, and federal agencies, and our great U.S. Attorney Jeanine Pirro, who will be prosecuting this case, will be doing everything in our power to keep all citizens safe, especially tonight, our Jewish community.”

She stated the prosecution commitment: “We will follow the facts, we will follow the law, and this defendant, if charged, will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”

The emphasis on “our Jewish community” was important. Antisemitic attacks had risen dramatically since October 7, 2023. American Jews had faced increasing harassment, intimidation, and occasional physical attacks. The Israeli Embassy staff killings represented the most severe single incident on American soil in this period.

The reference to Jeanine Pirro as prosecutor was significant. Pirro had been appointed U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia by Trump in early 2025. Her prosecutorial background — as Westchester County District Attorney in New York for many years — made her well-suited for complex cases. The assignment of this high-profile terrorism case to Pirro reflected the administration’s prioritization of the matter.

The “fullest extent of the law” framing signaled that the case would be prosecuted aggressively, with the goal of maximum penalties available. This would likely include federal hate crime charges, terrorism enhancements, and potentially death penalty consideration if the defendant was eligible and convicted.

Key Takeaways

• Leavitt on Biden cover-up: “Not just the President — these are facts now being revealed. Tapper/Thompson’s ‘Original Sin’ book documents it.”
• MAHA Report four factors: “Poor diet (ultra-processed foods), environmental chemicals, lack of physical activity, over-medicalization.”
• “First time federal government recognized in a single report that our children are getting sicker, not healthier.”
• National security framing: 77% of military-age Americans ineligible for service due to health issues.
• AG Bondi on Israeli Embassy staffers: “Follow the facts, follow the law, prosecute to the fullest extent. Pirro prosecuting.”