The Los Angeles riots, the “No Kings” protests, and Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities have taken attention away from the growing scandal of former President Joe Biden’s age-related mental issues and whether White House aides illegally made decisions on the ailing commander in chief’s behalf.
But the scandal remains and, as the latest I&I/TIPP Poll shows, a majority of Americans want an investigation.
It’s a scandal of huge proportions, with the media covering it up and rogue political actors both inside and outside of the White House hiding Biden’s mental problems and, possibly, even making decisions for a president mentally unfit for duty.
A recent book authored by CNN host Jake Tapper and Axios writer Alex Thompson. “Original Sin: President Biden’s Decline, Its Cover-Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again,” detailed how underlings exercised presidential power and concealed Biden’s growing mental issues.
“One of the things that really, I think, comes out in our reporting here,” Thompson explained on Fox News, “is that if you believe — and I think a lot of these people do sincerely believe — that Donald Trump was and is an existential threat to democracy, you can rationalize anything, including sometimes doing undemocratic things, which I think is what this person is talking about.”
So, how do Americans feel about this?
The online national I&I/TIPP Poll, taken from May 28-30, asked 1,395 adults the following question: “A new book claims that some White House aides tried to hide President Biden’s mental health problems to prevent Donald Trump from winning reelection. What should be done next about this matter?”
More than half (51%) wanted some sort of investigation or inquiry, with 27% supporting “a criminal investigation to hold those involved accountable,” while 12% backed “hold congressional hearings to find out who knew what.” Another 12% opted for “investigate the Democratic Party’s role in covering it up.”
Of the remainder, only 7% said they supported the option to “create a bipartisan commission to investigate and report,” while 30% boosted what was perhaps the most cynical choice of “do nothing, it’s just politics as usual.” Another 12% were not sure.
As is almost always the case when a politician of either party is involved, political affiliation defined much of the response to this question.
For instance, the most aggressive proposal put forward – to launch an investigation and hold those who were involved “accountable” – garnered minor support among Democrats (15%) and independents (21%), but won a solid plurality of Republicans (42%).
Of the next three responses, none won even 20% support from any party, and one – “Create a bipartisan commission to investigate and report” – didn’t even breach the 10% level for any party.
The final, and perhaps most cynical, choice – “Do nothing, it’s just politics as usual” – got the strongest support from Democrats (48%) and indie voters (33%), but barely got double digits among GOP voters (10%).
One pattern for this response was intriguing: The older the voter, the more cynical the voter was. Just 21% of those age 18 to 24 picked “Do nothing, it’s just politics as usual”; for those 25-44, it was 22%; those 45-64, 32%; and for the oldest group, 65 and over, it was 42%, twice as high as the youngest cohort.
Prolonged exposure to politics, it seems, breeds political cynicism.
And that’s exactly what the Tapper-Thompson book showed: The incredible cynicism of the Democratic Party’s entire 2024 election cycle as Biden, clearly unable to exercise his presidential duties, shuffled through a series of election appearances propped up by aides eager to win another four years in the White House. Why? Though unelected, those largely anonymous aides would wield enormous power doing the job of a mentally failing president.
As a long-time Biden aide told the “Original Sin” authors, “He just had to win, and then he could disappear for four years. He’d only have to show proof of life every once in a while. His aides could pick up the slack.”
The issue came to a head after it was revealed that a faction in the White House appeared to be using the president’s autopen – essentially, a mechanical device that renders an exact version of a president’s signature – to sign dozens of pardons and untold numbers of other official documents, including executive orders.
The Times of London recently identified what it called a “Biden ‘politburo’ accused of running the country in secret,” which included: Biden’s long-time political adviser Mike Donilon, top legislative aide Steve Ricchetti, White House Chief of Staff Ron Klain, policy adviser Bruce Reed, First Lady Jill Biden and her top aide Anthony Bernal, and Biden’s son and confidant Hunter Biden.
Even some Democratic Party stalwarts now lament what was done on their behalf.
“They did such a disservice to Joe Biden and to the country,” the book quotes Obama adviser David Axelrod saying. “The family as well. I don’t understand how you could see him in the condition he’s in and think, ‘Yeah, you oughta go [run for president again].’ To do that to someone you love?”
As the I&I/TIPP Poll reveals, a slim majority want an investigation of some kind into Biden’s mental issues and the behavior of his aides during his presidency. But whether a full accounting of what some call the greatest White House scandal in history will ever take place is an open question.
I&I/TIPP publishes timely, unique, and informative data each month on topics of public interest. TIPP’s reputation for polling excellence comes from being the most accurate pollster for the past six presidential elections.
Terry Jones is an editor of Issues & Insights. His four decades of journalism experience include serving as national issues editor, economics editor, and editorial page editor for Investor’s Business Daily.
TIPP Picks
Selected articles from tippinsights.com and more
1. G7, Masters Of Nothing—Editorial Board, TIPP Insights
2. L.A. Riots: Just One More Symptom Of Far-Left California’s Sad Decline—Editorial Board, Issues & Insights
3. Poll Shows Trump’s Immigration Agenda Hugely Popular—Steve Cortes, Daily Caller
4. Most Hispanic Voters Back Trump Deportation Policy Amid Anti-ICE Riots, Poll Shows—Anthony Iafrate, DCNF
5. L.A. Riots: Just One More Symptom Of Far-Left California’s Sad Decline—Editorial Board, Issues & Insights
6. How U.S. Could Destroy Iran’s Fordow Nuclear Site—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
7. Strikes On Hospital In Israel, Iran’s Heavy Water Reactor—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
8. Putin Says Russia Ready For Peace Talks After June 22—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
9. Trump Rages At Fed Chair Over Rates: ‘Hundreds Of Billions Wasted’—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
10. Trump Denies WSJ Claim He Approved Iran Attack Plans—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
11. Trump To Decide On Iran-Israel Conflict Within Two Weeks, Says White House—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
12. Tucker Carlson Called To Say Sorry, Trump Says—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
13. North Korea To Send 6,000 More Workers To Russia’s Kursk Region—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
14. TikTok Ban Delayed For Third Time By Trump—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
15. Jasmine Crockett: MAGA Followers ‘Sick,’ Military Being Exploited—TIPP Staff, TIPP Insights
16. Liberals Force Young Children To Participate In Violent, Vulgar Anti-Trump Protests—Harold Hutchison, DCNF
17. Newt Gingrich Breaks Down Why Every Iran Deal Is Doomed Unless One Thing Happens—Mariane Angela, DCNF
18. Gregg Jarrett Provides One Long-Established Reason Judges Lack Legal Authority To Block Trump Nationwide—Mariane Angela, DCNF
19. Southern Baptist Convention Narrowly Avoids Eliminating Branch Accused Of Wokeness—Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal
20. Trump Announces Trade Deal and Drops Plans To Revoke Chinese Student Visas—Virginia Allen, The Daily Signal
21. Gov. Ayotte Delivers For New Hampshire Parents—Jason Bedrick, The Daily Signal
22. To Make American Healthy Again, the Country Needs a More Nuanced Farming Policy—Jennifer Galardi & Jay Richards, The Daily Signal
23. DOJ Finally Gives Immigration Judges Tools To Prune Their Dockets—Cully Stimson, The Daily Signal
24. Democrats Push False Narrative On AIDS Program, State Department Says—Elizabeth Troutman Mitchell, The Daily Signal
25. David Hogg Not Diverse Enough For DNC—Hailey Gomez, DCNF
26. ‘No Great Big Grand Final Bargain’: Brit Hume Says Deal With China Still ‘Has A Long Way To Go’—Mariane Angela, DCNF
27. California’s Immigration Crisis Is A Warning To The Rest Of The Country—Adam Johnston, DCNF
TIPP Market Brief – June 20, 2025
Your Morning Snapshot
📊 Market Snapshot
- S&P 500: ▼ 5980.87 (0.03% )
- 10-Year Yield: ▲ 4.397%, (0.4 basis points)
- Crude Oil (WTI): ▲ $74.87 (0.04%)
- Bitcoin (BTC): ▲ $105,203.41
- US Dollar Index (USD): ▼ 98.63 (0.28%)
- Gold: ▼ $3,374.28 (0.39%)
Bigger Charts: $SPX | $TNX | $WTIC | $BTCUSD | $USD | $GOLD
📈 Featured Stock
Our pick for today’s featured stock
📰 News & Headlines
Are You a Momentum Investor? This 1 Stock Could Be the Perfect Pick—Zacks Equity Research
Are You a Value Investor? This 1 Stock Could Be the Perfect Pick—Zacks Equity Research
⭐Recent Featured Stocks
AST Spacemobile Inc. (ASTS) (6/19)
Cloudflare Inc. (NET) (6/18)
Oklo Inc (OKLO) (6/17)
ATI Inc (ATI) (6/16)
Mr. Cooper Group Inc (COOP) (6/13)
Nuscale Power Corp (SMR) (6/12)
Centrus Energy Corp (LEU) (6/11)
Irhythm Technologies, Inc. (IRTC) (6/10)
Tutor Perini Corp (TPC) (6/9)
Aeva Technologies, Inc. (AEVA) (6/5)
More here
🧠 Macro Insight
● Futures Dip on Geopolitical Jitters
U.S. stock futures are slightly lower (Dow -0.2%, S&P -0.2%, Nasdaq -0.1%) as markets digest the Iran-Israel conflict and wait for Trump’s next move.
● Trump Decision Coming “Within Two Weeks”
The White House says Trump will decide soon on potential U.S. military involvement. Talks with Iran are possible, but the outlook remains tense.
● Brent Slips but Still Up Weekly
Brent crude (-2.3% to $77.02) cools after WH remarks, but still heading for third straight weekly gain. Supply fears linger over the Strait of Hormuz.
● Home Depot Eyes GMS Deal
WSJ: Home Depot (HD) is making a bid for GMS (GMS), following a $5B offer earlier this week by QXO (QXO). GMS shares popped in extended trading.
● SoftBank’s Son Proposes $1T AI Hub
Bloomberg: Masayoshi Son pitching “Project Crystal Land,” a $1 trillion AI manufacturing hub in the U.S., targeting TSMC and Trump officials.
📅 Key Events Today
Friday, June 20
● 08:30 AM ET – Philadelphia Fed Manufacturing Index (Jun)
Regional factory activity: an early gauge of June trends.
