Should President Biden Submit to a Cognitive Assessment?
Summary from the AllSides News Team
Should President Joe Biden submit to an assessment of his cognitive abilities?
For Context: Following Special Counsel Robert Hur’s report earlier this month, in which he characterized Biden as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” some are calling on Biden to submit to a cognitive assessment. Other 2024 presidential candidates, such as Republican Nikki Haley and Independent Robert F. Kennedy Jr., have raised questions regarding the cognitive abilities of both Biden and his expected Republican opponent, former President Donald Trump, 77.
Key Quotes: In a letter signed by 84 House Republicans, the group wrote, “If you are too mentally impaired to stand trial, as your own Department of Justice claims, then we are concerned that your mental state is not at a competent level to serve as the leader of the free world.” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre responded to calls by stating, “The president proves every day how he operates and how he thinks, by dealing with world leaders, by making difficult decisions on behalf of the American people.”
How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the spectrum are reporting on calls for Biden to take a cognitive test. The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) noted that Trump underwent a cognitive test “during the second year of his presidency at age 71 and achieved a perfect score.” An article in Reuters (Center bias) framed coverage around “experts on aging” that argued Biden’s verbal slip-ups do “not necessarily mean a deterioration in mental acuity.”
Featured Coverage of this Story
From the Left
Reagan’s Daughter: Cognitive Tests For Presidential Candidates Would Be ‘A Good Idea’
The daughter of the once-oldest president, Ronald Reagan, who was 77 when he took office, thinks cognitive tests for presidential candidates would be “a good idea,” she said in an interview that aired Sunday.
“Just what we know about what age can do, it doesn’t always do that, but it would probably be a good idea,” Patti Davis said on NBC’s Meet the Press, in response to a question from host Kristen Welker about whether she agreed with the prospect.
Reagan was elected in 1980, when he was 69-years-old; by...
From the Center
Do not read too much into Biden, Trump verbal stumbles, experts caution
Experts on aging caution against concluding that U.S. President Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump are suffering from cognitive decline based on their verbal slip-ups, saying that mixing up names or dates does not necessarily mean a deterioration in mental acuity.
Biden, 81, a Democrat running for re-election in November, and former President Trump, 77, his likely challenger, have accused each other of mental decline. Trump's last rival for the Republican nomination, 52-year-old Nikki Haley, has said both men are too old to occupy the White House and...
From the Right
Biden under pressure to take cognitive test amid dementia concerns
President Biden’s memory lapses, confusion, stumbles and halting gait have ramped up calls that he undergo a cognitive test during his annual physical exam.
Mr. Biden, 81, is set to undergo his physical as early as this month. White House aides said the exam, like last year’s, would not include a cognitive test required for many Americans older than 65.
A growing number of lawmakers insist that Mr. Biden undergo tests to determine whether he is capable of running the country or is suffering from dementia.
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