More than three dozen Republican lawmakers are calling on President Joe Biden, 79, to undergo a cognitive test, just as former President Donald Trump did while in the White House.
Biden, 79, is the oldest man ever to hold the office, and the Republicans say they want to make sure he’s fit for office.
Thirty-seven GOP lawmakers joined Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX) in signing a letter, including Republican leadership members House Republican Conference chairwoman Rep. Elise Stefanik of New York, GOP conference vice chairman Mike Johnson of Louisiana, Republican Study Committee chairman Rep. Jim Banks of Indiana, and several members of the GOP Doctors Caucus.
In their letter, they express “concern” with Biden’s “current cognitive state.”
Jackson has long questioned Biden’s mental acuity.
“My colleagues and I are again asking President Biden to immediately undergo a formal cognitive screening exam, such as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA),” Jackson told Fox News Digital in an email.
“As a former physician to three Presidents of the United States, I know what it takes mentally and physically to execute the duties of Commander-in-Chief and Head of State,” Jackson said. “Joe Biden has continually proven to me and to the world that something isn’t right. The American people deserve to have absolute confidence in their President’s cognitive ability.”
Jackson said Biden’s taking “the cognitive test will be an important first step” to reassure Americans that he is fit for office. Or, he said, the test could help “in identifying and properly treating symptoms of impairment that are consistent with a variety of cognitive diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, vascular dementia, Parkinson’s, or multiple sclerosis.”
The doctor also said all Americans should be interested in the findings. “This is not a partisan issue. When I discussed taking a cognitive test with President Trump, he was eager to assure the American people and to put the fake news media’s stories to bed,” the former presidential doctor wrote. “Why won’t President Biden do the same?”
“We can only assume the worst if he doesn’t submit to the same standard that his own party demanded of the last administration,” he added. “The precedent has been set.”
In the letter, the Republicans say that they “believe that, regardless of gender, age, or political party, all Presidents should follow the example set by former President Trump to document and demonstrate sound mental abilities.”
“While you underwent your annual physical exam on November 19, 2021, you either did not face a cognitive test or those results were withheld from the public.”
“The Alzheimer’s Association lists ‘changes in mood and personality,’ including being more ‘easily upset’ as one of ten signs of mental decline,” they wrote. “You displayed this type of mood change during a cabinet meeting on January 24, 2022, when you apparently did not know your microphone was on after finishing your opening remarks, and you called a White House reporter a ‘stupid son of a b—-’ in response to a question he asked on inflation.”
Joseph Curl has covered politics for 35 years, including 12 years as White House correspondent, and ran the Drudge Report from 2010 to 2015. Send tips to [email protected].