Tapper Criticizes Biden for Not Mentioning Jan. 6 Sooner in Debate

CNN host Jake Tapper believes President Biden missed an opportunity to address the January 6 Capitol riot earlier during the recent debate, arguing that it would have resonated with a large audience and highlighted the importance of democracy.

CNN host Jake Tapper has expressed his disappointment over President Biden's failure to raise the January 6 Capitol riot in the early stages of the recent debate. Tapper moderated the debate alongside Dana Bash and believes that Biden squandered a prime opportunity to emphasize the gravity of the insurrection before a large audience.

Tapper remarked, "One of the things that was expressed was the shock that I was actually the first person to mention Jan. 6 at the debate, and that Joe Biden wasn't. And it does seem to me like that was a missed opportunity by President Biden. Over and over, you had an audience of whatever it was, 70 or 80 million, if you include streaming, and he could have raised Jan. 6 in the very first answer."

Tapper Criticizes Biden for Not Mentioning Jan. 6 Sooner in Debate

Tapper's assessment aligns with the sentiments of many analysts and Democrats, who contend that Biden should have seized the chance to hold former President Trump accountable for his role in the insurrection. Trump has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and continues to assert that the 2020 election was stolen, despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary.

"There's been a lot of pushback from Democrats. Team Biden says they believe democracy, institutions, Trump trying to subvert the election is the No. 1 issue. A lot of Democrats have said, 'Sir, the cost of living is the number one issue. You're the incumbent. Your performance is issue one.' And the Biden team has consistently said, 'We will prove you wrong, like we did in 2020 when you didn't think we could win,' we will prove you wrong by making democracy a key issue. And yet he did not raise it right out of the bat," stated CNN's John King.

Tapper Criticizes Biden for Not Mentioning Jan. 6 Sooner in Debate

Tapper drew a connection between Biden's performance in the debate and the recent Supreme Court ruling regarding Trump's potential immunity from prosecution for his actions related to the 2020 election. He argued that Biden could have leveraged the platform of the debate to amplify the evidence against Trump and underscore the importance of holding those accountable for attempting to undermine democracy.

"There was the No. 1 Democrat in the country, with an audience of 70 or 80 million people, he didn't have to go into detail about the evidence, but he could have said there's this, there's that, there's this," Tapper said. "And that would have been a much bigger audience than Jack Smith is ever going to have."

Tapper Criticizes Biden for Not Mentioning Jan. 6 Sooner in Debate

Several media outlets, including The New York Times, have published editorials criticizing Biden's performance in the debate. The Times editorial board wrote, "The president appeared on Thursday night as the shadow of a great public servant. He struggled to explain what he would accomplish in a second term. He struggled to respond to Mr. Trump's provocations. He struggled to hold Mr. Trump accountable for his lies, his failures, and his chilling plans. More than once, he struggled to make it to the end of a sentence."

Biden's failure to adequately address Jan. 6 in the early stages of the debate has drawn criticism from both the media and political commentators. Many believe that Biden should have utilized the platform of the debate to highlight the importance of preserving democracy, holding those responsible for the insurrection accountable, and drawing a stark contrast between himself and his predecessor.