Despite mounting concerns about his mental capacity and his own Department of Justice highlighting his “poor memory” and advanced age, 81-year-old President Joe Biden refuses to take a cognitive exam, the White House confirmed to reporters when asked this week.
Quoting from Biden’s personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Monday —
The president proves every day [in] how he operates and how he thinks — by dealing with world leaders, by making difficult decisions on behalf of the American people — whether it’s domestic or national security.
“That is how Dr. O’Connor sees it. That is how I’m going to leave it,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
“When we have meetings with him and his staff, he is constantly pushing us, trying to get more information, and so that has been my experience with this president,” she said.
Questions about Biden’s mental fitness has dogged the White House since he took office in 2021.
Special Counsel Robert Hur’s investigation into Biden’s mishandling of classified documents last week highlighted that the 46th president would be perceived by a jury as a “sympathetic elderly man with poor memory.”
And an ABC/Ipsos poll found 86 precent of U.S. adults believe Biden is too old to serve another term. His frequent verbal stumbles prompt consistent scrutiny, and his strange public behavior has caused growing concern among both political allies and rivals.
During 2020 campaign, then-President Donald Trump repeatedly bragged that he “aced” a mental competency test while Biden dodged questions about his fitness.
Trump has rgued that Biden should undergo a mandated cognitive screening as part of the 2024 presidential election.
“He hasn’t taken any cognitive test because he wouldn’t pass one. I proved I was all there because I aced it… He should take the same exact test,” Trump said.
At a recent Iowa event Trump repeated Biden should be “forced to” undergo examination, repeating: “I took a cognitive exam, and I aced it.”
Jean-Pierre however insists such appraisal falls outside Special Counsel Hur’s purview since “he’s not a medical doctor.”
She maintains the 81-year-old president remains fully functional for leadership duties despite frequent memory slips and obvious confusion at public events.
The Horn editorial team