Biden's Re-Election Bid: Should US Politicians & Justices of Advanced Age Undergo Cognitive Tests?

Biden's reported intent to run again in 2024 has added to the conservative wrangle about the physical and mental capacity of the incumbent president who will be 82 on the next election day. On 23 November, former President Donald Trump suggested that his successor should have a "mandated" cognitive test.

The remark came on the heels of a report describing Biden's first physical exam, released by the White House on 19 November. The examination was conducted by White House physician Kevin O'Connor who concluded that Biden "remains a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency".

Half of US Voters Doubt Biden in Good Enough Mental, Physical Health to Perform His Duties

17 November 2021, 17:18 GMT

Yet, some medical experts cast doubt on O'Connor's report, suggesting that it left out some health issues. Dr Marc Siegel, a clinical professor of medicine and a practicing internist at NYU's Langone Medical Centre, told Fox News that he is concerned about the gait issue Biden faces.

"I don't like that they ascribe his gait issues to a broken foot. First of all, why did he fall", Siegel noted. "They did a thorough neurological exam, but they also need to do a nerve conduction EMG, and they need to do an MRI of the brain and the spinal cord to try and explain where this gait problem comes from".

Former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who served under both Barack Obama and Donald Trump, also argues that "there was a lot missing" from the Biden health report. Speaking to Newsmax earlier this week, Jackson presumed that it was a deliberate move by Biden's medical team to not test the president's cognitive abilities.

"They know that if they gave him a cognitive test, that he would have failed miserably, and then they would have had to explain that away somehow,", the former White House physician said, adding that Biden's "stiffened walking pattern" could be "a physical manifestation of some of the cognitive diseases".

World

Pelosi-Trump Squabble Goes On as Speaker Calls POTUS 'Sensitive' After His 'Mental Problems' Line

20 May 2020, 00:47 GMT

The fuss over the president's mental health is not something new in US political discourse. The US mainstream media repeatedly claimed that then-President Donald Trump was in "mental decline", had "growing mental illness", and vigorously speculated about his "tortured syntax, mid-thought changes of subject, and apparent trouble formulating complete sentences".

Donald Trump underwent a cognitive test in 2020: "We set the precedent when we did President Trump's physical. I did", Jackson told Newsmax. "The far-Left and the mainstream media were relentless in their pursuit of me to do something to address not only his physical capabilities, but his mental capabilities, which we did — we did a cognitive test".

Even though Trump passed the cognitive test, the mainstream media continued to bash him suggesting that the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) he underwent was "not the hardest test".

When Team Trump and Republicans gave the liberal camp some of their own medicine by questioning the cognitive abilities of then-presidential candidate Joe Biden in conservative outlets, on air, and during election rallies, the mainstream media declared the narrative "Russian disinformation".

World

US 2020 Vote: Why Russia "Denigrating Biden’s Health" Story Unlikely to Scare Off Trump’s Supporters

8 September 2020, 05:19 GMT

Still, it appears that the problem is not limited to the political struggle for the White House. In early November, ex-US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley called for a "cognitive test" for all Americans of advanced age in leadership roles when asked about her thoughts on the mental health of the current president.

"Rather than making this about a person, we seriously need to have a conversation that if you're gonna have anyone above a certain age in a position of power — whether it's the House, whether it's the Senate, whether it's vice president, whether it's president — you should have some sort of cognitive test", Haley told the Christian Broadcasting Network's David Brody on 4 November.

The politician underscored that this issue shouldn't be partisan, comparing it to how lawmakers disclose their tax returns.

A month earlier, Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA), a physician, advocated cognition tests for ageing leaders of all three branches of government during his appearance on "Axios on HBO". The senator drew attention to that besides President Biden much of the nation's senior leadership is quite advanced in age: House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is 81, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell is 79, and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer is 70. For his part, Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer is 83.

Ahead of the 2020 presidential election YouGov conducted a poll wondering whether US presidential candidates should undergo a cognitive test. The survey indicated that over two-thirds of Americans strongly or somewhat support the idea that these candidates be required to take a cognitive exam (67%). Only 14% opposed the idea. Those who approve of cognitive tests for US politicians seeking top positions included 71% of Democrats, 71% of Republicans, and 68% of Independents.