The White House is refusing to include cognitive testing as part of President Joe Biden's physical health evaluations despite growing concerns about his mental capacity.
This Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre reported that Biden's doctor, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, does not consider it necessary to perform a test to check the president's brain functions, arguing that the president demonstrates his mental abilities daily.
"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 it's national security," said Jean-Pierre.
This statement comes in response to pressure from journalists following a recent report by special counsel Robert Hur, which highlighted Biden's significant memory problems. The report noted that the president did not remember crucial events, including the death of his son Beau.
"[Biden] did not remember when he was vice president. He did not remember, even within several years, when his son Beau died. And his memory appeared hazy when describing the Afghanistan debate that was once so important to him," the explosive document states.
Biden's disastrous attempt to discredit the report
Although the report on the president already increased concerns about his capabilities, the situation for Biden worsened after offering a disastrous press conference to refute the special counsel's claims.
"I'm well-meaning, and I'm an elderly man and I know what the hell I'm doing," he said just before mistakenly referring to Egyptian leader Abdel Fattah El-Sisi as the "president of Mexico."
"I think, as you know, initially, the president of Mexico, El-Sisi, did not want to open up the gate to humanitarian material to get in. I talked to him. I convinced him to open the gate," he commented during the press conference.
A few days before, the president became confused in another press conference and stated that he recently met with François Mitterrand, the former French president who died almost 30 years ago.
These incidents have been highlighted by the media with increasing frequency, generating strong concern about the president's mental acuity.
Concerns grow about Biden's capabilities
A new ABC News/Ipsos poll found that an overwhelming majority (86%) of Americans think President Joe Biden, 81, is too old to serve another presidential term.
