New York Post columnist Michael Goodwin joined Chicago’s Morning Answer with Dan Proft and John Kass on Wednesday to unpack the fallout from recent revelations about President Joe Biden’s mental fitness, the role of the political class in covering it up, and the stunning prospect of Andrew Cuomo’s return to elected office.
Goodwin said that the full scope of the Biden administration’s internal dysfunction and obfuscation has only recently come into view, thanks to the release of Robert Hur’s interview audio and a wave of insider books and reports. He argued the situation is more dire than previously understood.
“What we’re seeing now is worse than anyone could have imagined,” Goodwin said, citing the growing evidence that Biden was effectively shielded from his own Cabinet, that key decisions may have been made without his direct involvement, and that the White House worked overtime to obscure the reality of his condition. “Who was actually running the government?” he asked.
The conversation touched on a widely ridiculed suggestion from a geriatric medical expert who referred President Biden to Delaware’s Adult Protective Services, suggesting he may be a victim of elder abuse. Proft dismissed the claim, arguing that it strips Biden of his agency and responsibility for decisions made during his presidency, particularly those involving the alleged influence-peddling of his family.
Goodwin pointed to the cover-up not only as a political scandal but a profound breach of public trust. “The United States did not have a functioning president—and we certainly didn’t have a functioning vice president. That’s incredibly serious,” he said.
When asked about public reaction, Goodwin noted a troubling level of apathy. “People are tuning out,” he said. “They’ve lost trust in the institutions—government, media, even the military. The only remaining trust seems to be in small businesses—people still believe in their local hardware store or bakery.”
Turning to New York City, Goodwin expressed deep concern over former Governor Andrew Cuomo’s early lead in the city’s upcoming mayoral race. Despite being under federal investigation for his handling of COVID-era nursing home policies, Cuomo is positioning himself as a steady hand in turbulent times.
His first campaign ad highlights his pandemic-era press briefings and claims he “delivered” for New Yorkers, a message Goodwin says is shameless and revisionist. “He lied about the nursing homes,” Goodwin said, “and now he’s trying to claim it as a credential.”
Cuomo is currently leading in a crowded Democratic primary field under New York’s ranked choice voting system, with his closest competitor a far-left socialist candidate. Incumbent Eric Adams is running as an independent, and a Republican will be on the ballot as well. Goodwin noted that Cuomo’s strength in the polls doesn’t guarantee a general election win, but it does demonstrate the Democratic Party’s struggle to present viable alternatives.
“The problems Cuomo is running against as a mayoral candidate are the same ones he helped create as governor,” Goodwin added, pointing to bail reform laws, school changes, and congestion pricing measures that he championed.
While Goodwin questioned the timing of the Justice Department’s renewed focus on Cuomo so close to an election, he said the larger issue remains: New York voters may be poised to return a scandal-plagued politician to office.
In the end, the conversation reflected a grim outlook on both national and local politics—an erosion of institutional trust, an electorate increasingly disengaged, and a political class adept at rewriting its own history.