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Organizers of The Oscars shook up the awards show this year by deciding to drop the performances of the Best Original Song nominees.

Maybe that was why the reaction was so intense, Knewz.com can report, when the show somehow still found time for a Conan O’Brien tune and an extended tribute to James Bond.

For the first time in 13 years, the Academy has opted to forgo the musical performances for the Oscar-nominated songs from Elton John: Never Too Late, The Six Triple Eight, Emilia Pérez and Sing Sing.

However, the show kicked off with a rousing tribute to Oscar nominee Wicked from the show’s two stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo.

Grande kicked off the show with a rendition of “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” from The Wizard of Oz and was then joined by Erivo for a showstopping performance of Defying Gravity.

Later there was an extended dance and song tribute to James Bond, with Lisa of Blackpink fame singing Live and Let Die, Doja Cat handling Diamonds are Forever, and Raye belting out Skyfall.

That was followed still later by a tribute to Quincy Jones, who died in November. Queen Latifa rocked Ease on Down the Road from The Wiz.

Heck, they even carved out time for host Conan O’Brien to sing a lighthearted song – ironically about not wasting time during the show, as so often happens.

While many of this year’s original songs were unfamiliar to the general public, viewers still flooded X criticizing the decision.

One person tweeted: “So they bailed on Original Song performances to then shove a dozen other songs into the broadcast? What’s up with this….”

Another remarked: “If you’re going to cut all the Best Original Song numbers, you can’t fill it with a random and extended James Bond tribute. It’s not even an anniversary year!”

While one person slammed: “I’m laughing my a– off right now at the fact that they cut all the Original Song performances because the songs this year s—, but they’re still having random musical performances.”

Academy chiefs Bill Kramer, CEO of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and Janet Yang, the Academy’s president, confirmed in January the show would “move away from live performances” and instead shift focus to songwriters.

In a statement, the duo desperately tried to defend the mystery move, saying: “We will celebrate their artistry through personal reflections from the teams who bring these songs to life.”

Instead, the Oscars urged music lovers to head online, where they could still hear all of the nominated songs.

The missing music wasn’t just slammed by viewers – many of the singers themselves shared their disappointment.

In mid-February, Diane Warren, who is nominated for The Journey from the film The Six Triple Eight, referred to the change as “frustrating.”

She continued: “Everybody loves to hear the songs. You want to hear these artists sing these songs that were integral to the movies. Music is so important to film, and these songs are very important to the movies they’re in.”

Brandi Carlile, who co-wrote Never Too Late, from the documentary Elton John: Never Too Late, told Variety: “I feel really sad because I don’t know if I’ll ever get a chance to perform on the Oscars again.

“I can’t fathom it, especially with Elton John. When I first found Elton John, it was in the ’90s, and he was winning an Oscar for The Lion King, and I couldn’t believe it.

“So to have the opportunity to perform with Elton John on the Oscars is a hard thing to not have manifest.”

Super Bowl Lix kicked off in New Orleans with Tom Cruise looking like he was flying high.

Before the Philadelphia Eagles trounced the Kansas City Chiefs 40-22, the movie star opened the February 9 telecast with a dramatic pregame promo message for Fox Sports about everything the teams had to confront and overcome to get to this epic moment, Knewz.com can reveal.

“There’s always new heights waiting to be reached –stepping into the unknown,” the Mission: Impossible star boasted, adding: “That comes with unbelievable pressure.”

Then the jokes began, with fans reacting not to the 62-year-old’s message of gridiron greatness but to how different he looked from the movie star they’re used to seeing onscreen.

“There is no greater pressure than that of his skin trying to stay stretched on his face,” said one social media user, while another simply asked: “What the f— happened to Tom Cruise’s face?”

As speculation grew about plastic surgery and fillers, it’s clear the three-time Golden Globe Award winner and four-time Oscar nominee has fans fearing for his well-being as he goes to extremes to preserve his youth.

“Most actors are self-conscious about their looks,” an insider told us. “With Tom, it’s a daily obsession, and surgery experts warn his obvious addiction to nips and tucks is putting his mental health at risk – while others say him being single for a massive 13 years now is impacting his mental well-being.”

Mission of Constant Improvement

Risky Business star Tom has always been prepared to put everything on the line to look good.

Eileen Berlin, his manager when he was starting out, confirmed he’s long been “obsessed with his looks” – telling one outlet she wouldn’t be surprised if he tried cosmetic procedures to challenge Father Time.

Even as a young man, the Top Gun star was ultra-focused on his looks.

Berlin remembered his curious way of preparing for photo shoots, saying: “He’d walk around in his little jockey shorts and nothing else and ball up his fists and flex his biceps and admire himself in the mirror.

“He liked to show off his body. He had a great pride in it, but he was working on perfection. He worried that he was only 5-foot-7. He said he would like some shoes that would lift him up a bit.”

What He’s Had Done

Lifts seem to be the least of it.

“It’s no secret Tom’s had cosmetic work done, likely fillers and Botox and, word is, laser treatments and perhaps jawline contouring,” our source said.

While Cruise’s never admitted to having any procedures, Dr. Gizem Seymenoglu, a medical aesthetics practitioner at London’s Longevita clinic, who hasn’t treated him, told a news outlet she suspects his puffy face could be a reaction to a fat transfer, in which flab from one area of the body, such as the buttocks, is injected into another area to create more volume.

The procedure, which can cost up to $15,000, has become popular, with antiaging tech millionaire Bryan Johnson, star of the hit Netflix doc Don’t Die: The Man Who Wants to Live Forever, trying it last year.

It’s more than Cruise’s face.

In 2023, Men’s Health asked him how he keeps fit.

“Sea-kayaking, caving… fencing, treadmill, weights… rock-climbing, hiking… I jog,” he said of his rigorous regimen.

In addition, he has his own cryotherapy equipment at home, as well as “masseurs, trainers, stylists and personal chefs,” our insider revealed.

“All of this must run up to $15,000 a day at least,” they warned.

The actor has also been known to physically endanger himself for his stunts, reportedly breathing nitrox or pure oxygen to train for holding his breath for 6.5 minutes for one particularly dangerous underwater scene.

Lonely Life – and Disturbing Scientology Beliefs

Despite the extremes to which he goes, “Tom has no fear of death,” explained the source.

The devout Scientologist believes people are immortal spiritual beings who have lived before and who will live again.

Our source added: “For Tom, it’s all a stimulus toward achieving total perfection in this life, whether he lives to be 100 – which he probably will, let’s face it – or not.”

But that could be a long, lonely life.

Even though he’s enjoyed headline-making romances with talented beauties including Rebecca De Mornay, 65, Cher, 78 (who put him “in the top five” of her all-time best lovers), first wife Mimi Rogers, 69, second wife Nicole Kidman, 57, and Penélope Cruz, 50, Tom hasn’t publicly dated anyone since third wife Katie Holmes, 46, left him – and his Scientology cult – in 2012.

“Women find him too extreme to be around for a long period of time,” our source said. “He’s a workaholic and always looking for that next adrenaline rush. He may be sang, but he’s not normal.”

That, along with his unwavering devotion to Scientology, can make dating difficult, even with his lame and reported $600million fortune.

Tom close to Bella, 32, and Connor, 30, his kids with Kidman, but they’re grown, with lives and jobs of their own, “and don’t need him as much,” our source said.

The actor hasn’t been photographed with Suri, 18, his daughter with Holmes, since 2013.

Mostly, he’s surrounded by stall, production assistants and people on the payroll, our insider said.

They added: “It’s kind of a shame he doesn’t have more balance in his life, but this is the bed he made for himself.”

So, is he happy?

Berlin, his early manager, remembered when Cruise took an entire day experimenting with poses for his first publicity headshots.

Looking back at those old photos, she said in 2022: “There’s contempt, arrogance, frustration, charm, sadness. I saw him in all those moods. What I have never seen is a real display of happiness in Tommy.

“He was always very, very ambitious, very, very determined to be a star. And that made him a perfectionist. That’s what drove him when I managed him, and I’m sure that’s what drives him now.”

Charting His Changing Face Over the Years

1983

To play Steve Randle in the coming-of-age drama The Outsiders, Cruise reportedly removed a cap from a tooth he’d chipped in a hockey match.

1993

That hair. That stare. Those cheekbones. Cruise was 30 and at his hottest when he and his chiseled jawline suited up to play a handsome lawyer in The Firm.

2002

At 40, Cruise got braces to address misalignment problems and showed them off at the Minority Report premiere.

2016

While promoting his action flick Jack Reacher: Never Go Back in Tokyo, fans noticed then-54-year-old Cruise’s face appeared swollen and unnaturally smooth.

2021

“What’s up with the bloated chipmunk cheeks?” a commenter wrote after seeing Cruise at a pro baseball game.

2024

“Botox gets rid of wrinkles. Clearly he’s not using it. Look at his forehead, full of ’em,” an online commenter wrote of Cruise’s more natural appearance at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships.

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, were all about their mansion in Santa Fe, New Mexico, as the couple remained private up until their shocking deaths.

The pair were discovered dead inside their home – both in separate rooms – after not being seen for two weeks, and now Knewz.com can reveal just how much time Hackman and Arakawa put into the residence.

The French Connection actor first bought the 12 acres of land in 1990, renovating a home already on the site before building another on the property 10 years later. However, it is still unclear in which home Hackman and Arakawa were found in.

Hackman would spend plenty of time on the property, especially after his exit from Hollywood following a lengthy and impressive career.

“I think it’s like being an actor. I interpret what’s already there,” the movie star once said of his love for his properties.

He added: “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I guess I like the process, and when it’s over, it’s over.”

Following his purchase of the land, the Oscar-winner decided to reach out to architects Harry Daple and Stephen Samuelson of Studio Arquitectura for help in bringing his vision to life – but it would be a tall task.

Samuelson recalled: “The house was horrible. It was a 1950s block building that had sat empty and had deteriorated. But it was a great site, and the foundation had been well placed on the land.”

After some time, Hackman and Arakawa were able to significantly transform the home, as the actor is said to have been involved in the renovation, including assisting with the demolition.

However, Arakawa also helped with the renovation, especially when Hackman was away for work. Awakawa would reach out to her husband via phone and send him photos in order to keep him in the loop.

“(Hackman) was deeply involved client, very artistic, very keen on details,” Samuelson said.

Hackman also had other homes, and even owned his own island just off the coast of Washington.

Hackman and Arakawa were both found dead in their residence on Wednesday, as it took investigators 12 hours to identify their “mummified” bodies.

Arakawa was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet, according to a search warrant. Hackman was also found with the same signs of decomposition as his wife, a sheriff revealed.

No suicide note was left by either party according to investigators.

One of Hackman and Arakawa’s three dogs, a German Shepherd, was also found dead in a closet.

At the moment, the deaths are being looked at as “suspicious.”

In the wake of the actor’s passing, a video discussing his fears of dying resurfaced.

“I try to take care of myself. I don’t have a lot of fears. I have the normal fear of passing away,” he said in the now chilling clip.

The Superman: The Movie star added: “You know, I guess we all think about that, especially when you get to be a certain age. I want to make sure that my wife and my family are taken care of. Other than that, I don’t have a lot of fears.”

Congresswoman Marjorie Taylor Greene was duped by a video claiming to expose former President Barack Obama‘s “fraudulent” birth certificate, Knewz.com can reveal.

The video, which began recirculating online last week, appeared to show a news conference about an alleged investigation into Obama, 63, who has faced baseless conspiracy theories claiming he was actually born in Kenya, not Hawaii, for over two decades.

While the video has been debunked before, it gained traction on Facebook when a user shared the clip and captioned the post: “Wow, the fact they are reporting this is unreal. Obama’s fraudulent Birth Certificate being exposed to the world.”

Over 7,300 users reacted to the post, which was shared over 6,400 times – and apparently made its way across the Georgia representative’s timeline.

Greene, 50, took to X to share the video with her 1.4 million followers.

She captioned the fake video: “Oohhh this is great!!”

Her post was viewed over 2.9 million times and racked up over 75,000 likes and 24,000 reposts. A community note was later added to Greene’s viral post, stating: “Footage of the press conference held by the former sheriff of Maricopa County, Arizona is from 2016, not 2025 as is implied by posts on social media. The press conference was documented by local media in 2016.”

Not only was the clip old, it has been debunked as it did not provide any merit to conspiracy theories about Obama’s citizenship, which have even been pushed by Donald Trump.

Obama previously addressed the theory when the White House published a copy of the then-president’s official birth certificate in 2011.

An additional link to Obama’s birth certificate “on file at the National Archives” was also included, along with a previous news article about the fake video.

Social media users quickly began dunking on Greene in the comments for sharing the debunked clip and stirring up the baseless conspiracy theory.

One X user wrote: “I hate to be the one to break it to you… this isn’t new, it’s not credible, you’ve been played (again).”

Another chimed in: “Only problem is, Marj, it’s already been disproved. Years ago. I think that clips from a number of years ago.”

Others mocked, “Breaking News!!! from December 2016!!!” and “This clip is 8 years old.”

According to the Pew Research Center, conspiracy theories initially began circulating in 2004 with false claims about Obama secretly being Arab and Muslim and were revived in 2008 when then-Senator Obama announced his presidential bid.

Unfortunately for the former president, he has been at the center of more recently as of late centered on his alleged divorce from wife Michelle Obama.

As RadarOnline.com reported, insiders claimed Michelle’s absence from recent major events in Washington D.C. was due to the couple’s secret separation.

One source claimed the Obamas were doing everything in their power to avoid a nasty public split and working out the division of their assets with lawyers.

The Democratic Party insider with knowledge of the deliberations said: “They want to have everything ironed out in advance. The last thing they want is an ugly fight with lots of nasty legal filings.”

Gene Hackman and his wife, Betsy Arakawa, kept their private lives out of the limelight, but the couple appeared to be happy during their marriage before their lifeless bodies were found at their $4 million mansion.

The pair’s death is being viewed as “suspicious,” as they were each found in separate rooms less than a year after being seen holding on to each other tightly during a public outing, Knewz.com can reveal.

The Hollywood legend is said to have first met Arakawa – a classical pianist – when she was working part-time at a fitness Center in California in 1989. The pair tied the knot just two years later.

Besides being a pro on the piano, Arakawa – who was born in Hawaii – also co-owned a home furnishing business in Santa Fe, New Mexico. However, upon beginning her relationship with Hackman, the two went private and moved into their home together, which resided on 12 acres of land in the Santa Fe area.

“It had a kind of magic in it,” the Oscar-winning actor once said of the city he lived in with his love.

While the two did not have any children together, Arakawa was seen as a stepmom to Hackman’s three kids, son Christopher and daughters Elizabeth Jean and Leslie Anne.

The movie star welcomed all three with his first wife, Faye Maltese, who he parted ways from in 1986 after 20 years of marriage.

“… We just drifted apart. We lost sight of each other. When you work in this business, marriage takes a great deal of work and love,” Hackman previously said of his divorce.

Following Hackman’s retirement from Hollywood, he became an author, and Arakawa is said to have helped him published numerous books including Pursuit and Payback at Morning Peak.

Hackman gushed about Arakawa’s help during a 2014 interview with podcast Writer’s Bone: “If in fact I have a style, it came from repeated edits, friends’ suggestions, and my wife’s unwavering, specific read-throughs.”

Hackman and Arakawa’s bodies were found “mummified” at their home, two weeks since the two had last been seen.

According to a search warrant, Arakawa was found decomposed with bloating on her face and mummification in her hands and feet. Hackman was also found with the same signs of decomposition as his wife, a sheriff revealed. No suicide note was left at the scene.

Pills were also discovered scattered around in their bathroom as well as near Arakawa’s body in the bedroom. The Unforgiven actor was in the home’s mudroom, the warrant read.

The identities of both Hackman and Arakawa were not released for nearly 12 hours due to the condition of the bodies.

The pair’s dog, a German Shepherd, was also found dead in a closet, while the other two were discovered alive.

While police noted there was no “obvious signs of a gas leak,” Hackman’s daughter Elizabeth Jean speculated they may have died due to a carbon monoxide leak.

Nazi-loving kook Kanye West wasn’t getting any guffaws from Saturday Night Live – and the humorless hitmaker repeatedly ripped the cast for putting on lackluster performances, according to show veteran Bill Hader.

Hader, 46, was a regular on the sketch comedy series from 2006 to 2013 during some of the Gold Digger rapper‘s eight appearances as SNL’s musical guest and said the huffy hothead didn’t hesitate to hold forth on his opinions, Knewz.com can reveal, with West’s alleged wild behavior during his stint on the series coming to light again amid his latest anti-Semitic outbursts, which have involved him saying he loves Hitler and selling swastika t-shirts online.

“He was always kinda like, nice, but then also really contentious, you know,” Hader recalled in the new documentary Ladies & Gentlemen… 50 Years of SNL Music. “He had no problem telling us that he found the show incredibly unfunny. He would tell us that on the regular.”

But West, who currently calls himself Ye, was also reportedly upset with the show’s crew.

The documentary explains whiny West, 47, had a temper tantrum in 2016 after SNL’s staff removed decorative materials that his creative team had brought to the set for his performance.

Behind-the-scenes audio featured in the doc appears to capture the potty-mouth moaning: “Look at that s—. They took my f—— stage off at SNL without asking me. Now I’m bummed. Are they f—— crazy? I’m 50 percent more influential than any other human being. Don’t f— with me.”

SNL boss Lorne Michaels said he chased West down as he stormed off the set and convinced him to return by telling him it would be “more damaging” to his career if he ditched the gig after bragging about his planned appearance.

Pro-basketball icon Dwyane Wade sank a post-career buzzer-beater when doctors found a cancerous kidney tumor in time to save his life – but Knewz.com can reveal he’s living in fear that the Scourge will return.

Wade, 43, retired from the Miami Heat in 2019 and then went on to host the TV game show The Cube.

But despite pleas from his Bad Boys actress wife, Gabrielle Union, 52, Dwyane skipped scheduled medical checkups, sources said.

An insider added: “He was poked and prodded by doctors for so many years as an athlete, he figured it would be OK to take a break from it.”

But when the father of five finally got a workup in 2023 after experiencing stomachaches and low urine flow, doctors found a large tumor on his right kidney. After surgery, which wound up removing 40 percent of the organ, docs determined the mass was cancerous.

Although the hoop great’s life was spared, sources said Wade worries the Grim Reaper is breathing down his neck.

“He’s sweating bullets, fearing that his cancer will return,” confided the friend. “Gabrielle and his older kids tell him he should just be thankful he’s alive and to live for today, but he can’t seem to get some dark scenarios out of his head.”

Experts say that’s not unusual for cancer survivors.

Noted oncologist Dr. Jerome Spunberg told us: “Many patients feel anxious and vulnerable after cancer surgery.

“The best thing Dwyane can do is get regular checkups to determine that he’s cancer- free, which will ease his mind over time.”

Funnyman Jimmy Fallon is feeling increasing pressure at The Tonight Show as ratings plummet, and no one in his inner circle is laughing as they worry it could send the host on another dangerous downward spiral, Knewz.com can reveal.

As readers know, 10 years ago, Fallon was rumored to have been in a hard-partying period and hitting New York bars after work. He once bizarrely fell in his kitchen and caught his wedding ring on a table, almost detaching his finger.

He ended up needing surgery to save it.

And things got so bad that his wife, Nancy Juvonen, reportedly kicked him out of the house for a time, forcing him to move into a hotel, with sources saying he only cleaned up after NBC execs stepped in.

And now – even though an insider stressed he’s been way healthier in recent times – another source said “the heavy stress” Fallon finds himself under these days could be his downfall.

The Tonight Show‘s ratings have plunged 41 percent in the last five years, so NBC brass trimmed the show‘s schedule from five nights a week to four, ratcheting up the comedian‘s anxiety levels to 11.

Our source said: “People are whispering this could be the beginning of the end, that the show might get canceled, or he might get replaced.

“He’s fighting to survive, and the stakes are very high. He’s been in hustle mode ever since, begging all his famous friends to come on to give him a boost, but it’s still a big weight on him.”

While one insider told RadarOnline.com there’s “zero truth” to rumors Fallon has a drinking problem or is stressed about declining ratings, those closest to him believe he’s extremely vulnerable to backsliding.

In 2023, 16 of his staffers claimed his “drinking” had caused “erratic behavior,” creating a “toxic” workplace.

Fallon reportedly apologized to his entire staff over Zoom, saying: “I feel so bad I can’t even tell you.”

Since then, the presenter is thought to have been on the straight and narrow, and his loved ones are said to be “desperate” to keep it that way, sources tell us.

Our source said: “He’s got round-the-clock minders. Whether it’s his wife, an assistant, a personal trainer or a bodyguard, he’s never alone, as no-one wants to tempt fate and leave him to his own devices.

“Jimmy scoffs at the idea he needs this, but there’s no doubt he likes having a buffer to insulate him from the world.

“Plenty of people are convinced that, whether he admits it or not, he could backslide. This gives his loved ones a lot of peace of mind.”

Kevin Spacey‘s firm has been hit with a new lawsuit after allegedly failing to pay in taxes on his former $6 million Baltimore home.

Knewz.com can reveal the scandal-hit actor, 65, took out a multi-million dollar mortgage on the extravagant five-level apartment.

But property filings show he’d failed to keep up with the repayments after he was hit with multiple sex abuse allegations, which he has denied.

The home was foreclosed and sold at auction last July after Spacey reportedly put up a fight.

He secretly bought the Baltimore shoreline property through the firm Clear Toaster LLC, which is run by his business manager, Dan Bolno, in an apparent effort to conceal the actor as the buyer.

Now, it’s been revealed Clear Toaster is being sued by the tax experts Maryland Tax Appeals LLC.

They specialize in helping people to appeal their property tax assessment and reduce the amount they pay if, for example, they believe the pad has declined in value.

Details are brief on the Maryland district court website, but the lawsuit is described as “contract — large claims,” which is usually for cases seeking damages of over $10,000.

Spacey’s lawyers are disputing the suit and have filed their “intention to defend.”

Regarding their defense, the court details read, “Did not commit wrongs alleged — demands strict proof of each and every allegation.”

Spacey has enlisted attorneys Whiteford Taylor & Preston with proceedings having been postponed.

Records show Spacey purchased the property for $5.65 million and took a big risk by taking out a whopping home loan of $4,237,500 with Comerica Bank in September 2017.

It was just a month before he was hit with the first allegations of sexual misconduct.

The loan was over 30 years at a four percent interest rate, which is around $20,000 plus taxes.

He initially refused to leave the pad after it was sold at auction to property investor Sam Asgari, who purchased it for a bargain price of $3.24 million.

The actor’s legal team previously accused Asgari in court docs of using “intimidation” tactics to try to force Spacey out of the home.

They alleged Asgari falsely declared the property as “abandoned” while posting an eviction notice.

Spacey’s lawyer, Edward U. Lee III, wrote in a filing that Asgari used the notice as a means of “harassing and coercing” his client to move out before he was legally required to do so.

However, Asgari hit back, saying: “The exceptions filed have no merit, and they’re designed to buy time on our expense, to live in the property for free, and to smear the buyer.

“The trustee and us will file in opposition, and we strongly believe that their claims are frivolous and will be denied.”

The pair eventually reached a settlement in November for Spacey to leave and, this week, the six-bed, seven-bath home was put on the market for $5.9 million.

The property was built in 2016 and has a home theater, elevator, sauna, billiard room, and chef’s kitchen.

There is also a 76-foot roof deck with a spa and a four-car garage.

Michael LaRosa, longtime press secretary for First Lady Jill Biden, has revealed in a recent interview that the Joe Biden administration “gaslighted” the American public by “covering up” the concerns regarding the oldest President’s age and health during his reelection campaign.

Knewz.com has learned that LaRosa admitted that the Biden campaign was aware “from day one” that the 81-year-old President’s age “was an issue.”

“From the moment I joined the campaign in the fall of 2019, it was a problem,” LaRosa said in the interview.

Concerns regarding Biden’s age and capability to run for Office were raised every time he made a verbal gaffe on the campaign circuit, with President Donald Trump making it one of the key points of his Presidential campaign.

However, the dissenting voices had never been as loud as they were after the first Presidential debate—an event that cemented the concerns about Biden’s age and reportedly deteriorating cognitive abilities.

While talking about border security at the debate – a rather crucial topic for this year’s presidential election – Biden’s statement became increasingly unintelligible, with Trump grabbing the chance to reply: “I really don’t know what he said at the end of that sentence. I don’t think he knows what he said, either.”

Another notable example was when he tried to respond to a question about the national debt, and he trailed off toward the end of his response and ended his statement with another one of his verbal gaffes, saying, “We finally beat Medicare.”

Trump immediately pounced on the opportunity when it was his turn to respond: “Well he’s right, he did beat Medicare. He beat it to death and he’s destroying Medicare.”

Notably, Biden’s performance at the June 27 debate led to prominent Democrats calling on him to take his name out of the running.

Hollywood megastar George Clooney also penned his concerns regarding Biden’s advancing age and his performance at the June 27 Presidential debate, conveying his worries as an ardent Democrat supporter.

“We are not going to win in November with this president. On top of that, we won’t win the House, and we’re going to lose the Senate,” Clooney wrote in his guest essay for The New York Times.

“This isn’t only my opinion; this is the opinion of every senator and Congress member and governor who I’ve spoken with in private. Every single one, irrespective of what he or she is saying publicly,” Clooney said at the time.

However, prior to the former President bowing out of the Presidential race, the Biden campaign tried its best to counter the concerns regarding his advancing age, although LaRosa believes it would be a little “harsh” to call it a cover-up.

“Calling it a cover-up is a little harsh and exaggerated. Every politician, every human being, tries to cover up their age. We all wear makeup on TV… So we were always, from day one, cognizant that age was an issue. From the moment I joined the campaign in the fall of 2019, it was a problem,” he said.

LaRosa further said at a Science Institute at American University seminar on Wednesday, February 26:

“There are some things that are true, I mean, like the gaslighting. There was a lot of denial of the polling. And I will use the term gaslighting because that’s what they were doing, the campaign, former colleagues. The message to everybody was to make sure that you tell people it’s too early.”

He also said in the PUCK interview:

“The message to everybody was to make sure you tell people, “It’s too early. These polls don’t mean anything.” Then for about a year and a half, the numbers never moved, and by denying the data that was out there publicly, by denying and undermining the really insightful journalism that The New York Times was doing, that you were doing, and all of the free press, they were actually demeaning a lot of those people.”

“… The point is that they did do a lot of gaslighting. If you were watching MSNBC, you probably believed them. But if you were consuming information, consuming data, and looking at it objectively, and trying to interpret it and process it objectively, none of it was surprising,” LaRosa added.

Despite the White House trying to uphold the image of Biden’s “good health” in front of the public during his reelection campaign, LaRosa revealed that the former president’s aides were “scared to death of impromptu, unscripted, unrehearsed, unpracticed, unchoreographed anything” ahead of the elections.

“[Biden] loves TV. He loves doing stuff. It was the orbit that didn’t trust the candidate. Biden needed the press, but when he needed the press the most, they didn’t trust him. And then the press put their foot on the gas and never took it off, and he was politically dead in a month,” he added.