During the White House Press Briefing on Wednesday, February 28, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre made the wild claim that President Joe Biden doesn’t need to take a cognitive test because he passes a cognitive test just by being president every day. KJP’s comment on the matter came after Biden was not given a cognitive test during his physical exam.
Her comment, including the wild claim that Biden doesn’t need to take such a test just because he muddles through being president, came when a reporter asked for details on what happened during Biden’s physical exam. “And did the President take a mental fitness or cognitive test during his physical this morning?” the reporter asked.
Responding, KJP said that the memo that then had not yet been released on Biden’s health would be “robust.” She said, “So, let me just say I did see Dr. O’Connor in — he stopped by my office earlier today, after the President completed his physical this morning, as you all know. He was happy with how everything went. And as soon as he finishes completing the memo — it will be a robust, comprehensive memo — we will certainly share that with all of you, as we have done in the last two years.”
Continuing, she went on to claim that Biden is “fighting crime,” and verbally patted him on the back for taking questions, saying, “And look, you saw the President return to work. He took some of your questions not too long ago, and you saw he’s going to continue to — to fight for the American people. And in this particular instance, he was talking about fighting — fighting crime. So, the President is going to continue that — that process.”
That’s when she got to her claim that Biden doesn’t need a cognitive test because he passes one “every day” by being president. She said, “As it relates to — you were asking me about a cognitive test — as it relates to that, look, you know, the President doesn’t need a cognitive test. That is not my assessment. That is not my assessment. That is the assessment of the President’s doctor. That is also the assessment of the neurologist who has also made that assessment as well. And, you know — and you’ve heard us say this, and I’ll reiterate this: The President’s doctor has said, if you look at what this President — the President, who is also the Commander-in-Chief — he passes a cognitive test every day — every day, as he moves from one topic to another topic, trying — understanding the granular level of these topics.”
She then returned to Biden “fighting crime,” saying, “You saw him talk about a fighting crime today. Tomorrow, he’s going to go to the border. Next week, he’s going to give a State of the Union Address. And so, we have to keep that in mind. This is a very rigorous job. And the President has been able to do — do this job every day for the past three years. And let’s not forget, he is also leading a historic presidency, which is also important to note in everything that we’ve been able to do — he’s been able to get done over the past three years.”
The reporter wasn’t done, and instead pressed KJP on why the president wouldn’t have just taken the test to close any speculation about this mental health: “But given that there’s been so much scrutiny, and you say there’s no problem, he would pass the test every day, why not just have his doctor administer the test and then case closed?”
KJP didn’t give a straight answer on that front, instead just saying, “Because the doctor doesn’t believe that he be- — he needs one, because his — including the neurologist doesn’t believe he needs one. Look, I think — I think folks need to understand that the President passes, again, a cognitive test every day. If you look at what a clinical cognitive test is actually, what it actually does, it is a 15-minute appointment that is — that is administered by someone that, most of the time, people don’t actually know.”
She continued, “And — and — and the President has a team of doctors that is with him 24/7. And he is able to do the work every day that is rigorous — that is more rigorous than it would be for any 15-minute clinical — clinical appointment. And you think about the job growth, you think about the record small-business action, you think about the bloom in that — in that particular space of 16 million more small businesses have been cre- — created. You think about delivering historic investment — that has been done by a president who has to deal with these issues every day, again, on a granular level. And — and so, his doctor, including the neurologist, do not believe that he needs one. That is their assessment.”
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