In a rare moment of media introspection, CNN’s Jake Tapper offered a public and direct apology to Lara Trump during his appearance Tuesday on The Megyn Kelly Show. The apology centers on a 2020 interview in which Tapper criticized Trump for remarks about then-candidate Joe Biden’s cognitive ability, accusing her of mocking his childhood stutter—an allegation that, in hindsight, he now concedes was unfounded and unfair.
Tapper revealed that he personally called Lara Trump “months ago” to apologize, and said the conversation went well. According to him, Trump denied ever mocking Biden’s speech impediment—a claim Tapper now accepts. “Her comments have aged well. My comments have aged poorly. I own that,” he admitted.
The moment marks a notable reversal, not only in tone but in Tapper’s broader posture toward the 2020 election media landscape. In trying to contextualize the atmosphere, Tapper pointed to a frenzy of partisan accusations flying from both sides at the time.
“People on the Biden side were saying crazy things about Trump, and people on the Trump side were saying crazy things about Biden,” he said, referencing Donald Trump Jr.’s infamous insinuations about Biden as a particularly charged example.
Tapper also explained that his questioning was driven by the media climate surrounding Lara Trump’s remarks—specifically, coverage from outlets like the Daily Mail and even conservative media, which at the time framed her comments as targeting Biden’s stutter. The story had gained so much traction that Captain “Sully” Sullenberger even penned an op-ed in The New York Times criticizing her.
But Tapper now acknowledges the core issue wasn’t the media narrative—it was his own misjudgment. By feeding into the same interpretation he now challenges, he contributed to a false public perception and helped amplify an accusation that lacked clear evidence. In doing so, he effectively admits he let the temperature of the political moment override journalistic caution.
Tapper’s apology is not just a personal correction—it serves as an implicit critique of the larger media machine that thrives on reflexive outrage and weaponized misinterpretation.
It’s also a moment of rare acknowledgment that conservative media got it right, while the legacy press got it wrong—not just on Biden’s cognitive health, but on how dissent from that narrative was handled.
That he made the admission on Megyn Kelly’s show—a platform frequently critical of legacy media—only underscores the magnitude of the moment. It’s a humble retreat from a media bubble that often resists self-correction, and one that may go a long way in restoring some trust, particularly among those who’ve long felt maligned, misrepresented, or silenced.
