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Donald Trump has said that Joe Biden "must take a cognitive test" after the president's annual physical exam on Wednesday did not include one.
Trump, 77, claimed that all those hoping to be in office should take such a test, amid concerns over the 81-year-old's president's cognitive ability as he seeks a second term in the White House.
Writing on Truth Social, Trump said: "Crooked Joe Biden must take a Cognitive Test. Maybe that way we would be able to find out why he makes such terrible decisions. I took two of them, and ACED them both (no mistakes!). All Presidents, or people wanting to become President, should mandatorily take this test!"
The White House has been contacted for comment via email.
The Context
There have been ongoing concerns about Biden's age and cognitive ability heading into the 2024 Election, which is expected to be a rematch against Trump.
These concerns were highlighted in the recent release of the classified documents report from Special Counsel Robert Hur.
While Hur cleared Biden of any criminal wrongdoing for retaining Obama-era classified materials, the report cited numerous concerns about the president's memory, including suggesting it was "significantly limited" and claiming Biden could not remember, "even within several years," when his son Beau died of brain cancer in 2015.
What We Know
On Wednesday, Dr. Kevin O'Connor confirmed that Biden is in good physical health following his examination at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, adding he is an "active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency."
Biden did not take a cognitive test as part of his latest examination. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Biden's physician assessed during his latest checkup that the president "doesn't need" one.
"He passes a cognitive test every day," Jean-Pierre added.
Trump has frequently dismissed concerns about his own mental ability or that he is also too old to run for another term in office.
Trump has also boasted on the 2024 campaign trial about how he passed a test, believed to be the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, which is used to detect cognitive impairment or signs of decline such as dementia.
"You'd be amazed at how many people would fail it," Trump told a crowd of his supporters in Las Vegas in January. "There's only about two percent in this room who can do it. But I did it, very easily."
Views
On Wednesday Biden joked with reporters about the medical exam: "They think I look too young."
"No, there is nothing different from last year. Everything's great," he added.
Jonathan Reiner, a cardiologist and professor of medicine and surgery at the George Washington School of Medicine & Health Sciences, speaking to The Washington Post in January about Trump saying he passed the Montreal Cognitive Assessment: "It's a very, very low bar for somebody who carries the nuclear launch codes in their pocket to pass and certainly nothing to brag about."
What Next
The debate whether Biden, or Trump, is too old or has the necessary cognitive ability to be president again looks set to continue for the remainder of the 2024 campaign.
In January, a Reuters/Ipsos survey of 1,250 adults found that 77 percent of people think that Biden is too old to work in government, with 48 percent believing that Trump is.
Update 02/29/24, 9:16 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.
About the writer
Ewan Palmer is a Newsweek News Reporter based in London, U.K. His focus is reporting on US politics, and Florida ... Read more