The former White House physician who gave a glowing report in 2018 about then-President Donald Trump’s cognitive talents is asking on President Joe Biden to take the identical test.
U.S. Rep. Ronny Jackson, R-Texas, led a bunch of 14 Republicans who sent Biden a letter on Thursday urging him to take a cognitive test and make the outcomes public.
The freshman Congressman served as White House doctor beneath former presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Trump. In 2018, he gave Trump a clear invoice of well being after an annual bodily and cognitive test that got here amid questions on Trump’s psychological health to serve.
At the time, Jackson stated it was the primary occasion he knew of a cognitive test being administered to a sitting president, saying Trump was “mentally very sharp.”
“We believe that, regardless of gender, age, or political party, all presidents should follow the precedent set by former President Trump to document and demonstrate sound mental abilities,” Jackson and his Republican colleagues wrote of their June 17 letter to Biden.
President Joe Biden, pictured right here through the closing debate of the 2020 marketing campaign, bristled at questions on his psychological health through the presidential marketing campaign.
The Trump marketing campaign made Biden’s psychological health a major piece of its 2020 campaign. In marketing campaign advertisements and rallies, Trump sought to paint Biden as mentally unfit to serve. His psychological health has been a daily target for misinformation spreading on-line.
Biden, 78, is the oldest president in American history.
Fact test: Video of Biden discussing Jesus, the American Revolution and airports is missing context
The White House didn’t instantly reply to a request for remark. Biden has bristled at questions about his mental capabilities. Biden’s physician launched a medical report in December 2019 during which he described Biden as “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” (*13*) NBC News reported the report did not mention “mental deficiencies.”
Jackson stated in a prepared statement that it’s “past time” that Biden submit to a cognitive test.
Story continues
“The American people deserve to have absolute confidence in their president,” he stated within the assertion. “They deserve to know that he or she can perform the duties demanded of the office, and they deserve to have full transparency on the mental state of their highest elected leader.”
Jackson claimed Biden has proven “clear mental impairment.”
Jackson was elected final 12 months in Texas’ thirteenth Congressional district. Trump nominated Jackson, a Navy rear admiral, to function secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs in 2018, however he withdrew from consideration amid allegations of misconduct, including drinking on the job and contributing to a hostile work environment.
The other 13 Republicans who signed the letter are:
-
U.S. Rep. Bob Gibbs, of Ohio
-
U.S. Rep. Jeff Duncan, of South Carolina
-
U.S. Rep. Andy Harris, of Maryland
-
U.S. Rep. Brian Babin, of Texas
-
U.S. Rep. Jody Hice, of Georgia
-
U.S. Rep. Claudia Tenney, of New York
-
U.S. Rep. W. Gregory Steube, of Florida
-
U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, of Wisconsin
-
U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, of Florida
-
U.S. Rep. Jerry Carl, of Alabama
-
U.S. Rep. Pat Fallon, of Texas
-
U.S. Rep. Diana Harsbarger, of Tennessee
-
U.S. Rep. Beth Van Duyne, of Texas
This article initially appeared on USA TODAY: Joe Biden urged to take mental cognition test by 14 House Republicans