Ex-White House doctor Rep Ronny Jackson demands Biden take cognitive test or drop out of 2024 race
Fox News
Rep. Ronny Jackson, who was a White House physician to multiple presidents, is circulating a letter among House Republicans demanding that President Joe Biden take a cognitive test or drop out of the 2024 race.
Jackson, R-Texas, led previous calls for Biden to take a cognitive test, including one in July 2022 that was signed by more than 50 House Republicans. The latest letter comes as Biden is widely expected to officially announce his 2024 campaign this week.
“We call on you to either resign immediately and renounce your bid for reelection or submit to a clinically validated cognitive screening assessment and make those results available to the public,” says Jackson’s letter, which is addressed to Biden.
BIDEN HEALTH EVALUATION MISSING MENTAL STATUS EXAM: MEDICAL EXPERT
The letter cites Biden’s age, public gaffes and polls showing many Americans have doubt about the president’s mental fitness as reasons for the president to take a cognitive test. Fox News is told the deadline for other Republicans to sign onto the letter is Wednesday.
“When you first announced your bid to run in the 2020 presidential election, questions and concerns were raised surrounding your cognitive abilities. Those concerns have only increased because your mental decline and forgetfulness have become more apparent since you were elected,” Jackson wrote in the letter.
“The American people should have absolute confidence in their President and know that he or she can perform their duties as Head of State and Commander in Chief,” Jackson also said. “Therefore, the American people deserve complete transparency on the mental capabilities of their highest elected leader.”
The Biden administration has repeatedly brushed aside concerns about Biden’s acuity. Earlier this year when GOP presidential candidate Nikki Haley proposed that politicians over 75 take mental competency tests, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said attacks on Biden over his fitness for office failed in the past.
“You know, we’ve heard these types of attacks or remarks before. And, you know, if you go back to 2020, they said that the president couldn’t do it in 2020 and attacked him there, and he beat them,” Jean-Pierre said. “Maybe they’re forgetting the wins that this president has had over the last couple of years. But I’m happy to remind them anytime.”
Biden’s lack of interviews with news outlets has also fueled speculation that the White House is playing it safe with Biden in potentially hostile environments. According to former CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller, Biden had granted 33 total interviews as president as of Feb. 8. Trump was at 147 at that point in his presidency, according to Knoller, while Obama was at 273.
The White House this month, however, argued that Biden in the first 20 months of his presidency engaged with the press in more question-and-answer sessions, including informal exchanges, than his two immediate predecessors combined.
During one of those informal exchanges Monday, Biden appeared to tease a 2024 presidential announcement.
“I told you I’m planning on running. I’ll let you know real soon,” Biden said when asked if he is ready to run again.
Fox News’ Patrick Ward, Jacqui Heinrich and Sarah Tobanski contributed to this report.