Former President Donald Trump on Monday demanded President Biden submit to a drug test before Thursday’s first presidential debate – days after he predicted his rival would be “high” on CNN’s stage, The New York Post reports.
Trump, 78, wrote on Truth Social after he and his allies had repeatedly suggested that Biden, 81, will be medicated during the Atlanta forum:
“DRUG TEST FOR CROOKED JOE BIDEN??? I WOULD, ALSO, IMMEDIATELY AGREE TO ONE!!!”
Biden has been at the president’s Camp David residence in western Maryland since last week, prompting dark speculation in Republican circles about what the incumbent’s debate preparations might include. One Trump ally told The Post:
“There is no universe in which [Biden’s] not being medicated before the debate. If he wants to dispel that, he should offer to take a drug test, but we all know he won’t do that.”
Campaign spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt added:
“I think it’s a fair question worth asking. If Biden wants to prove otherwise, why didn’t he commit to a drug test?”
Biden’s campaign did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment on whether he would undergo such a test.
In May, Trump told Republicans at a GOP dinner in Minnesota that he was going to “require a drug test” before the debate because Biden was “high as a kite” during his March State of the Union address.
Trump has not said he would refuse to debate Biden without a drug test, but he reiterated during a Saturday rally in Philadelphia that he believes Biden is likely to get a pharmacological boost. Trump told supporters, referencing the Camp David stay:
“Right now, Crooked Joe has gone to a log cabin to study. He’s sleeping now, because they want to get him good and strong. So a little before debate time, he gets a shot in the ass. He’ll come out all jacked up, right?”
Biden’s team directed The Post to campaign co-chair Mitch Landrieu, who told NBC News’ “Meet the Press” Sunday that Trump was just talking “trash.” Landrieu said:
“Trump’s going to talk trash like that all the time because that’s what he does. The other day, you may remember, he was trying to question our president’s mental acuity, and he could not remember the name of his own doctor, so tell President Trump bring whatever he’s got — President Biden will be standing there ready for him.”
Both Republicans and Democrats have expressed concern for Biden due to his frequent gaffes, mumbling, faltering and rambling in front of world leaders.
A recent Wall Street Journal report quoted lawmakers and staffers as saying they are concerned about Biden’s deteriorating condition – noting that he is increasingly quieter during meetings and relying more and more on memos and aides.
Biden’s campaign condemned the report, with re-election campaign manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez saying:
“The only people willing to make these false claims are Trump’s MAGA Republicans in Congress.”
Biden, if re-elected, will be 86 at the end of his second four-year term.
His physical exams have never included public results of a mental acuity test, despite polls showing a majority of Americans are concerned about his mental health.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who served as White House physician under former Presidents Barack Obama and Trump, sent a letter to the president on Monday demanding a drug test before the debate. Jackson said in a statement about his letter:
“It’s a terrible reality that I am having to send a letter demanding President Biden submit to a drug test prior to this week’s debate, however, Americans are being left in the dark by a dishonest administration regarding what types of performance enhancing drugs Biden is using for high stakes events like the State of the Union. If President Biden needs to take performance enhancing drugs in order to participate in this week’s debate, then it is imperative that he and his physician disclose that to the American people. Election Day is just around the corner, and voters deserve to have full transparency regarding the health of their Commander in Chief who is vying for this job for another term.”
