This week, fifty-three U.S. lawmakers signed onto a letter from former White House physician Ronny Jackson, who served under Obama and Trump, calling on President Biden to take a cognitive exam and share the results with the American people.
“While you underwent your annual physical exam on November 19, 2021, you either did not face a cognitive test or those results were withheld from the public,” Jackson wrote. “White House Physician Kevin O’Connor, D.O., attested to you being ‘fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency’ in a very superficial, and purely physical manner; however, we are worried about your mental abilities.”
“As you may remember, multiple Members of Congress joined together to send you a letter on this issue on two separate occasions since the start of this Congress,” he continued. “The first was in June of last year and the second was in February of this year, however you have not replied to either of these letters. Since then, the American people have continued to lose faith in your ability to effectively and competently handle your duties as President of the United States.”
Jackson then pointed to polling that show the American people are questioning Biden’s abilities. Jackson noted that 66% of voters believe that Biden should take a cognitive test, 56% of voters are not confident that Biden is physically and mentally fit for duties as President, 64% of voters believe Biden has shown signs that he is too old to execute the duties of the President of the United States, including 60% of respondents aged 65 and older, and only 33% of voters approve of the job that Biden has done as President.
The former White House physician then noted that even left-leaning publications like The New York Times have begun to report on Biden’s cognitive decline.
“The increased scrutiny surrounding your cognitive state has been fueled by your recent public appearances, during which you shuffle your feet when you walk, often slur your words, lose your train of thought, have trouble summoning names, and appear momentarily confused,” the letter stated. “All of this was exemplified during your most recent trip to the Middle East, where you claimed that we must ‘keep alive the truth and honor of the Holocaust,’ among other things.”
Jackson also noted that former President Trump was called on by opponents to take a cognitive test in 2018 and he did.
“This is not an unprecedented request. Starting in 2018, political opponents and members of the media clamored for your predecessor, then-President Trump, to take a cognitive test,” Jackson wrote. “In response, the White House Physician conducted a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA) for President Trump, at which he excelled.”
Jackson concluded, “we encourage you to follow the example set by President Trump, by undergoing a cognitive test as soon as possible and immediately making the results available for the American people.”
