Jon Stewart Mocks Jake Tapper's Shameless Book Promotion and CNN's Ratings Collapse

Jake Tapper's Book Promotion Tactics

• 🎯 Jake Tapper is promoting his new book, "Original Sin: President Biden's Decline, Its Cover Up, and His Disastrous Choice to Run Again," by extensively using his CNN platform.
• 💡 A montage highlights Tapper repeatedly mentioning his book, even when discussing breaking news, leading to accusations of "shameless profiteering."
• 🎙️ Tapper's book tour included appearances on various podcasts and talk shows, alongside relentless promotion on CNN.

Biden's Cancer Diagnosis and Book Release Timing

• 🧠 The timing of Biden's prostate cancer diagnosis announcement, just days before the book's release, is questioned as a potential strategy to "scoop" the book's revelations or generate sympathy.
• 🎭 This move is described as a "Biden move," characterized by a petty, Nixonian ego, aiming to make the book seem less impactful or to garner advance sympathy.

CNN Ratings Plummet Amidst Book Buzz

• 📉 Jake Tapper's CNN show, "The Lead," experienced its lowest ratings since August 2015 during May, despite the intense publicity surrounding his book.
• 📊 Tapper's show averaged 525,000 total viewers, a 25% decrease from the previous year, while Fox News averaged 3.3 million and MSNBC averaged over 1 million.
• 📺 CNN's audience share in Tapper's time slot was only 11%, significantly trailing MSNBC's 21% and Fox News's 68%.

Criticism from the Left and Right

• 😠 "Libs" are reportedly upset that Tapper is criticizing Joe Biden, especially given his alleged prior knowledge of the issues discussed in the book, which he seemingly sat on.
• 🧐 The core criticism is encapsulated by the question: "What did Jake Tapper know and when did he know it?"
• 🗣️ Some critics suggest the book should have been titled "If I Did It," referencing the OJ Simpson case, implying Tapper's complicity or silence.

CNN's Strategic Misstep

• ⚠️ The decision to allow Tapper to promote a book that undermines his role as a CNN anchor is seen as a major strategic error, potentially making CNN appear complicit in gaslighting the public.
• 📺 The network's strategy of trying to appeal to non-partisan, objective truth-seekers while promoting a book that claims Tapper was a "massive liar" is viewed as sleazy and counterproductive.
• 📢 Feeding "red meat" to partisan audiences, as Fox News and MSNBC do, is presented as a more effective strategy for driving ratings than Tapper's attempt to "thread the needle" dishonestly.