Even with many questioning President Joe Biden’s mental capacity, the White House says he will not take a cognitive test despite his own Department of Justice releasing a report highlighting his “poor memory.”
The issue was raised with White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Monday, who pushed aside questions, instead quoting Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, in what he said “about a year ago.”
“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 national security,” Jean-Pierre told reporters.
She went on to say that this was how his doctor sees it, so that’s how she is going to leave it, reaffirming that the 81-year-old Biden is still “sharp.”
“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,” Jean-Pierre said.
But Americans aren’t buying it.
Last week, special counsel Robert Hur released a report on the president’s mishandling of classified documents from his time as vice president.
While the report didn’t recommend Biden be charged in the case, like his counterpart, former President Donald Trump, the reason why was a bit backhanded.
“At trial, Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory,” Hur wrote. “Based on our direct interactions with and observations of him, he is someone for whom many jurors will want to identify reasonable doubt. It would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him — by then a former president well into his eighties — of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”
In a more animated response, Biden assured reporters that he wasn’t aging out of his position.
“My memory is fine,” Biden said during a press conference on Thursday, adding, “I know what the hell I’m doing!”
Dr. O’Connor also skipped out on a cognitive test last year, something his political opponents complained about, though now it seems Americans are growing more worried themselves.
On the heels of the report, an ABC News/Ipsos poll found that 86% of Americans think the 81-year-old president is too old to serve another term as president.
Want to get caught up on what's happening in SoCal every weekday afternoon? Click to follow The L.A. Local wherever you get podcasts.
Another poll from NBC News found that 76% of Americans are concerned Biden is not mentally fit for another four years.
However, Jean-Pierre continued to shoot down any narrative that Biden wasn’t cognitively worsening. When reporters asked if Dr. O’Connor would take their questions, she would not answer yes or no but did take time to take a shot at Hur.
“He’s not a medical doctor. He’s just not. It’s not for him to speak to. It’s just not,” she said.
Follow KNX News 97.1 FM
Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | TikTok