‘Biden’s mental health is in decline’: President’s opponents demand cognitive testing – Reuters

In the middle of last month, Biden underwent an examination at Walter Reed Medical Center (Maryland). According to his findings, the United States’ first-person attending physician Kevin O’Connor said the White House chief “remains a healthy, energetic 80-year-old man who is capable of performing his duties. without restrictions.” According to the doctor, Biden has several minor health issues, including “frequent coughing, especially after eating,” so he “uses medication as a preventative.” Weeks later, Biden also got remove a malignant tumor from the skin, after it has been recommended to continue monitoring with a dermatologist.Still, many of Biden’s opponents aren’t convinced by all of this: They’ve once again used his medical exam for caustic jokes about age and disability. For example, former attending physician to the President of the United States (2013-2018) Ronnie Jackson, now a Republican Congressman, believes the White House is “hiding the truth” about Biden’s mental state. , since there is “not a word about him” in the conclusion. “Most Americans see Biden’s mental health as declining,” Jackson said. He said he sent three letters to the White House “demanding to test Biden’s cognitive abilities and release the results,” but they were ignored.The subject of Biden’s health is a regular topic in the United States: either his critics mocking a fall from a bicycle or the fact that he salutes the voidThe subject of Biden’s health comes up regularly in the United States: either his detractors make fun of a fall from a bicycle, or the fact that he salutes the void, gets lost in space, or confuses words.At the same time, as even Biden-friendly publications often point out, his age also baffles many of his party colleagues who believe he should not be re-elected in 2024, because at the end of his second term he will have 86 years old. years.Liberal media allied with Biden have portrayed Jackson’s statements as conspiracy theories and politics, but recently a group of 37 Republican senators also sent a letter to Biden urging him to take a cognitive test. This chorus of votes was joined by former US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley, who announced her intention to run in the Republican Party’s 2024 presidential election. His idea is to force politicians over 75 to take a mental capacity test. Incidentally, Haley, 51, not only took aim at Biden, but also, it seems, tried to force her way into the Republican primaries, where ex-President Donald Trump, 76, is considered the favorite. Photo: Social networksBiden is the oldest president in US history, but such questions to the head of state are nothing new. During Donald Trump’s presidency, his Democratic opponents, in an attempt to delegitimize him, also regularly expressed doubts about his psychological aptitude to fulfill the functions of head of state.In all of these conclusions and statements, there are clearly more politics than medical issues. Although passing the US president’s medical exam and publishing its results is seen as a show of transparency to Americans, it is actually more of a publicity stunt. It is difficult to remember and imagine a situation where the attending physician of the President of the United States reported serious health problems. Such information, and not just in America, is considered highly sensitive both from a domestic and foreign policy perspective.
Although different presidents in the United States have had their own wounds, they have not been recognized as incompetent. As long as the US President is able to walk and speak more or less clearly, there is no rush to replace him due to the US political system. First, although the head of the White House is a key figure in American politics, the system of checks and balances also provides for other decision-making centers at both the federal and regional levels. These restrictions on presidential powers won’t even allow a mad head of state to radically change the course of the United States. Second, in any case, such a review and all the procedures for removing the leader of the White House from power will stretch so much that it is probably easier to wait for the next election.For example, Ronald Reagan was once the oldest leader in the White House (at the end of his second term he was 77) and in the last years of the presidency there were also questions about his ability to perform his duties. Opponents surprised him with contradictory statements, omissions, a blank stare. Several years later, an analysis of his speeches, according to the New York Times, showed that Reagan had descended into dementia in the twilight of his presidency. After leaving the White House, he became known to have Reagan’s Alzheimer’s disease. Nevertheless, no serious attempt was made to scrutinize Reagan or remove him from power on this basis.