US President Joe Biden will not be undergoing a cognitive test during his next physical exam, the White House said on Monday, Fox News reported.
Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, cited that Biden’s doctor, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, doesn’t think a cognitive test is needed.
Reporters pressured Jean-Pierre about the matter because of last week’s report from Special Counsel Robert Hur, which highlighted significant memory problems with Biden.
“Does the White House think that the idea of the president taking a cognitive test as a part of this physical is a legitimate idea?” a reporter asked.
“I’m just gonna say what Dr. O’Connor said to me about a year ago when [Biden’s physical] was released,” Jean-Pierre responded.
“The president proves every day [in] how he operates and how he thinks, by dealing with world leaders, by making difficult decisions on behalf of the American people – whether it’s domestic or it’s national security.”
“That is how Dr. O’Connor sees it, and that is how I’m going to leave it,” she added.
When reporters persisted in questioning her about the topic, Jean-Pierre offered a stronger defense of Biden. She emphasized that she has known Biden for over ten years and still perceives him to be “sharp” and “on top of things.” “When we have meetings with him and his staff he is constantly pushing us, trying to get more information, and so that has been my experience with this president,” she said.
The release of a special counsel report on Biden’s management of classified documents heightened worries about the mental sharpness of the president. The report noted Biden’s “diminished faculties” in interviews, labeling him an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
Recent polling shows that Biden’s age is a significant concern for a majority of both Americans overall and Democrats specifically. A survey conducted on Sunday by ABC/Ipsos revealed that 86% of Americans feel Biden is too old to serve another term, with 73% of Democrats sharing this view.
