Detroit, Michigan – Millions of American voters are dissatisfied with the electoral options presented to them this November. President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump are poised for another showdown reminiscent of the 2020 election. There are widespread concerns about the candidates’ capabilities to govern effectively, particularly due to their ages. While Biden’s public gaffes are increasingly apparent, Trump has also demonstrated similar signs of decline.
Trump constant attacks on Biden regarding his age
Even before the presidential campaigns officially began, Donald Trump, the presumptive Republican nominee, has been consistently criticizing Biden for his age and alleged cognitive decline. Biden’s frequent public gaffes since assuming office have only added to the claims that he may not be the right person to represent the country. Coupled with dissatisfaction over his handling of the economy, voter support is waning, particularly in crucial battleground states.
A recent article from The Hill suggests that a growing number of Democrats are concerned that President Biden’s weak numbers in swing states might adversely affect their Senate candidates. Meanwhile, Trump’s relentless critiques of Biden’s health took a hit when his latest appearance in Detroit ended up backfiring.
The details
Donald Trump on Saturday night suggested President Joe Biden “should have to take a cognitive test,” only to confuse who administered the test to him in the next sentence. The former president and presumptive Republican nominee referred to Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson, who was the White House physician for part of his presidency, as “Ronny Johnson.” The moment came as Trump was questioning Biden’s mental acuity, something he often does on the campaign trail and social media.
“He doesn’t even know what the word ‘inflation’ means. I think he should take a cognitive test like I did,” the former president said of Biden during a speech at a convention of Turning Point Action in Detroit.
The gaffe
Seconds later, he continued, “Doc Ronny Johnson. Does everyone know Ronny Johnson, congressman from Texas? He was the White House doctor, and he said I was the healthiest president, he feels, in history, so I liked him very much indeed immediately.” Jackson was elected to Congress in 2021 and is one of Trump’s most vociferous defenders on Capitol Hill.
Trump, who celebrated his 78th birthday on Friday, has consistently raised doubts about whether Biden, who is 81, is capable of handling a second term. This has become a key focus of his campaign efforts. However, when Trump made a verbal slip-up on Saturday night, critics online were quick to highlight it. The Biden campaign, which has consistently defended against critiques of the President’s occasional verbal errors, shared a video of Trump’s mistake shortly after it occurred. Back in 2018, Trump underwent a cognitive assessment at his own behest, which Jackson, his doctor at the time, reported to the media. This test aims to identify early indicators of memory problems and other minor cognitive issues.
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About the test
The cognitive test that Trump underwent, known as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, involves several tasks. These include memorizing and reciting a list of words, hearing a sequence of random numbers and repeating them in reverse order, naming as many words as possible that start with a specific letter, such as ‘F’, within a minute, drawing a cube accurately, and explaining how two items, such as a train and a bicycle, are similar. Trump later mentioned that one part of the test required him to remember and correctly repeat a series of words in a specific order: “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV.”
Biden slammed about a recent meeting with global leaders
In a speech in Detroit, Trump brought up a video that was popular among Republicans, showing Biden at the recent G7 summit in Italy. The video, often seen in a trimmed form, depicts Biden walking away from other leaders and turning his back, seemingly giving a thumbs-up to an unclear recipient. However, a fuller view of the video reveals that Biden was actually turning towards a skydiver who had just landed.
Despite the fuller context, Trump misleadingly claimed that Biden was turning around “to look at trees,” which amused and excited the audience. The Biden campaign responded by labeling the edited video as deceptive and criticized those sharing it for manipulating the content to fabricate falsehoods.
