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Rep. Ronnie Jackson, a former White House physician who has served in Democratic and Republican administrations, said Saturday that Democrats who called for former President Donald Trump to take a cognitive test should now demand that President Joe Biden take one.
Jackson, a Texas Republican who was elected to Congress last fall, noted that shortly after Donald Trump took office, questions arose about his mental capabilities, leading the former president to take the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), which is a 30-point test serving as an indicator of potential memory problems.
âThe far left and the mainstream media were demanding that be the new standard for anybody whoâs going to lead our country and be our Commander-in-Chief and our head of state,â Jackson told Fox News on Saturday.
âIâm just saying I agree with them at this point â we need to get it done,â he added.
In noting that he administered the exam to Trump, Jackson further explained it doesnât focus on measuring IQ but is instead aimed at uncovering age-related mental issues including dementia and overall declines in cognitive abilities.
Jacksonâs comments come as questions concerns about Bidenâs mental capacity increase following a series of bizarre actions during recent press conferences, including leaning forward repeatedly and whispering into the microphones, as well as ongoing struggles to remember details.
Last month, White House officials said that Biden is scheduled to have a physical exam âlater this year,â which would come sooner than Trumpâs medical exam during his term; Trump and then-President Barack Obama both had their medical exams at the beginning of their second year in office.
Jackson pointed out to Fox News that the White House hasnât said whether a MoCA test will be part of Bidenâs overall health exam while stating that Trump actually set a new standard for measuring the mental capacity of a sitting president, which he said Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) even recognized at one point.
She introduced legislation in October 2020 that would establish a bipartisan commission of health assessors whose job it would be to measure a presidentâs capacity to serve.
âThis legislation applies to future presidents, but we are reminded of the necessity of action by the health of the current president,â Pelosi told reporters at the time. âItâs not about any of us making a judgment about the presidentâs well-being.â
Last year, Jackson credited Trumpâs mental and physical health as he praised him for his quick decision-making as the COVID-19 pandemic swept across the country. And he has also praised Trumpâs âenergy and staminaâ in the past.
As for Biden, Jackson believes it has become obvious that he is struggling mentally.
âI think heâs demonstrating every single day that there is something going on,â he said, adding: âYou donât need to be a physician to look at this behavior and see thereâs something concerning happening.â
Jackson went on to point to several occasions where Biden appears to be slow and âconfused.â
âYou can go back â thereâs forty years of tape of this man â heâs always made gaffes and stuff but these are different, heâs confused, heâs disoriented,â said the Texas Republican.
âWe all know people who are 100-years old, who basically are as sharp as a tack, and we know people who are in their mid-60âs that having some cognitive difficultiesâŠand I think heâs on that end of the spectrum,â Jackson added.
âHeâs just not aging gracefully at this point,â said the physician before returning to his initial point about Democrats pressing for a mental exam.
âIâm just asking them, when you do the physical exam include the cognitive assessment,â Jackson said. âAs far as Iâm concerned the standard precedent has been set and they need to follow and do the same.â