Former Biden aide Michael LaRosa has admitted the administration deliberately “gaslit” Americans about former President Biden’s age and health concerns, revealing a calculated strategy to downplay mounting evidence of decline ahead of the 2024 election.
Key Takeaways
- Michael LaRosa, former press secretary for Jill Biden, openly admitted the Biden administration was “gaslighting” Americans by dismissing legitimate concerns about the President’s age and mental acuity.
- Biden’s campaign team was reportedly “scared to death” of allowing the President to participate in unscripted or unrehearsed events, limiting his exposure to protect him from public scrutiny.
- The administration engaged in what LaRosa called “data denial,” ignoring polling that showed weak support for Biden among Democrats, independents, and Republicans.
- Biden’s poor debate performance against Donald Trump significantly intensified concerns about his ability to serve another term, eventually leading to his withdrawal from the race.
- The White House consistently doubled down on defending Biden’s capabilities despite mounting evidence to the contrary, according to LaRosa’s revelations.
Orchestrated Deception from Within
According to Michael LaRosa, former press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden, the administration engaged in a deliberate campaign to mislead the American public about President Biden’s declining health and age-related issues. Speaking at a seminar at American University, LaRosa directly stated, “I will use the term ‘gaslight’ because that’s what they were doing, the campaign, former colleagues. The message to everybody was to make sure that you tell people ‘It’s too early. It’s too early. These polls don’t mean anything.'”
LaRosa’s revelations came in response to questions about CNN journalist Jake Tapper’s book detailing the administration’s efforts to conceal Biden’s mental decline. While LaRosa considered the term “cover-up” too harsh, he acknowledged systematic denial of legitimate concerns. “By denying the data that was out there publicly. By denying the really insightful journalism that, they were actually demeaning a lot of the people. It was the data denial that really bothered me,” LaRosa said.
🤬Biden aides admit they straight up just lied about Biden’s dementia and could care less what the citizen thought because they RUN the show! 🤬
Michael LaRosa, once a trusted senior aide to Joe Biden, has admitted that the administration intentionally obscured the truth about…
— Redneck Azn (@LMFireSystems1) March 1, 2025
Fear and Control Behind the Scenes
The former aide painted a picture of an administration gripped by fear over Biden’s public appearances. “The president’s team was scared to death of impromptu, unscripted, unrehearsed, unpracticed, unchoreographed anything,” LaRosa revealed. “They couldn’t compete in the attention economy. They didn’t have any idea how. And they didn’t have the vessel in Biden, who would have done anything. He loves TV. He loves doing stuff. It was the orbit that didn’t trust the candidate.
This internal lack of confidence reached a critical point during Biden’s debate against Donald Trump, where the President appeared hoarse and struggled through answers. Despite these concerning public displays, LaRosa noted that White House officials continued to insist Biden was in good health, directly contradicting what Americans could plainly see. The administration’s unwillingness to acknowledge reality eventually damaged their credibility with both the press and voters.
Ignoring Clear Warning Signs
The Biden team’s dismissal of polling data represented a significant strategic failure, according to LaRosa. “There was a lot of denial of the polling. All of the polling in the spring of 2023, and then the fall of 2023, showed that there was no real depth of support from his own party, let alone independents and Republicans,” he stated. The administration consistently rejected indicators that Biden was performing poorly against Trump despite the the fact that he was facing multiple legal challenges.
“Every time there was a story about his age, or whether he could do another election, or whether he should be the candidate, they just doubled down.” – Michael LaRosa
LaRosa identified what he saw as a fundamental error in Biden’s decision-making process: “Ultimately, the problem with deciding to run for reelection again was a misread of our mandate.” This misinterpretation led to mounting pressure as Biden’s mental decline became increasingly apparent to voters, eventually forcing his withdrawal from the race and endorsement of Kamala Harris after weeks of resistance from within his inner circle.
Consequences for Democratic Credibility
The revelations from LaRosa have sparked renewed debate among Democrats about the reasons for their electoral defeats. Some party strategists, like David Axelrod, had previously expressed doubts about Biden’s capability to serve another term due to his age, concerns that were dismissed by the administration. The contradictions between the administration’s public assurances and the private concerns of staffers have raised serious questions about transparency in American politics.
“Biden needed the press. When he needed them the most, they didn’t trust him, they gave him the back foot of the doubt and they put their foot on the gas and never took it off. And he was politically dead.” – Michael LaRosa
According to reports, Biden may have missed critical calls due to being “mentally fatigued” before the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, adding weight to concerns about his capacity to handle the demands of the presidency. These admissions from a former insider have provided confirmation for what many Americans suspected, potentially damaging public trust in government communications for years to come.
Sources:
- Biden Campaign Was ‘Gaslighting’ Public on Age Concerns, Former Aide Says – Newsweek
- Biden aide admits administration was ‘gaslighting’ Americans by covering up alarm at his age and health
- Biden aide admits admin was ‘gaslighting’ Americans by dismissing health concerns: report
- Ex-Biden Aide Admits Administration Gaslit Americans on Biden’s Health
