A growing majority of Americans are not buying the excuse that the press was merely duped about President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline. Instead, they believe journalists knew what was happening—and helped to hide it. That’s the sharp conclusion of a new Rasmussen survey released this week, and the numbers are damning for both the White House and the mainstream media.
According to the poll, 72% of likely voters view the alleged cover-up by Biden’s staff as a “serious scandal,” and nearly half (48%) call it “very serious.” These are not fringe numbers or partisan outliers. This is a mainstream consensus that cuts across political lines—and it goes straight to the heart of trust in media and government institutions.
For over a year, concerns about Biden’s mental acuity have swirled: bizarre gaffes, wandering off mid-press conference, forgetting names, freezing during speeches, and rambling responses to simple questions. But each time, the media establishment rushed in with excuses—“gaffes,” “fatigue,” or “disinformation.” All while millions of Americans watched with their own eyes.
Now, the public isn’t just frustrated. They feel lied to.
The survey found that 63% of voters believe the media helped cover up Biden’s mental decline, not because they were misled, but because they were in on it. And nearly half of respondents (42%) say it’s “very likely” that the press was willfully complicit.
That view hardens among those who see the cover-up as a major scandal:
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89% of voters who believe it’s a “very serious” scandal say the media likely knew and kept quiet.
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74% say it’s “very likely” the media was part of the coordinated effort.
And for those who shrug off the scandal as no big deal? A staggering 95% say they don’t care if the press helped cover it up — an equally telling data point about ideological loyalty overriding objectivity.
Even among Democrats, 43% acknowledge that the press likely knew Biden’s condition and said nothing. And among independents? 63% agree—right in line with Republicans.
This isn’t just about political optics. It’s about election interference in real time. The press didn’t simply run interference for Biden—they allowed a narrative to stand: that questioning his mental fitness was “conspiratorial,” “ageist,” or “right-wing propaganda.” They mocked, shadow-banned, and censored any legitimate concerns—many of which are now being validated, not by political hacks, but by the president’s own visible behavior.
The result? Americans didn’t get the transparency they deserved before casting their votes. And now, they’re saddled with a president who, by most public observations, appears unfit to finish his term—let alone run for re-election.
