Is Biden taking something?
As the first presidential debate approaches, Republican nominee Donald Trump has issued a direct challenge to President Joe Biden, calling for a drug test ahead of their face-off.
“Biden should take a cognitive test,” Trump proclaimed during a campaign rally in Las Vegas, Nevada. The event was broadcast live on Newsmax and its streaming platform, Newsmax2. “People say it’s unconstitutional. That’s a convenient excuse. But he should have a cognitive test.”
Trump further suggested that both candidates take a drug test before the debate, expressing his own willingness to participate.
The debate, scheduled for Thursday, June 27, will feature a sit-down format with microphones controlled by moderators.
Trump, 81, hinted that Biden might need assistance during the debate, implying the use of performance-enhancing substances. He referenced Biden’s occasional gaffes, such as confusing Idaho and Iowa. “If I made those mistakes, they’d say my political career was over because I’m cognitively impaired,” Trump quipped.
During his presidency, Trump faced scrutiny from the media and underwent cognitive testing, which he claims to have passed with flying colors. “I aced both tests,” he said. “Not an easy feat.”
Trump also mocked Biden’s competence, referencing the ongoing investigation into Biden’s handling of classified documents from his vice-presidential tenure. “He was always the least intelligent person in the Senate,” Trump asserted. “They’re going after me for documents, and then they find out Joe has ten times more documents than I do. They excuse him, saying he’s too incompetent to stand trial.”
He criticized the double standard, pointing out that while Biden is deemed incompetent to face trial, he is still allowed to run for president. “He’s never been smart, but now he’s being called incompetent,” Trump remarked.
Trump emphasized that he did not want to avoid legal proceedings by claiming incompetence. “I don’t want to get off like that,” he insisted. “I did nothing wrong. It’s the Presidential Records Act. I did nothing.”
Due to a teleprompter malfunction, Trump spoke extemporaneously, contrasting his own natural speaking style with Biden’s reliance on scripted responses. “You saw me in the White House, it was like war,” Trump said, highlighting the difference in media treatment between him and Biden. “They give him the questions and the answers in advance. They never did that with me.”
He criticized the mainstream media, singling out MSNBC as particularly biased and dishonest. “They’re all bad and very dishonest,” Trump concluded.
As the debate date draws near, Trump’s comments have set the stage for what promises to be a contentious encounter between the two candidates.