Speaking during an appearance on MSNBC’s “Andrea Mitchell Reports” with Andrea Mitchell on Tuesday, July 2, former Speaker of the House and still-powerful Democrat Nancy Pelosi admitted that it is a “legitimate question” to ask whether President Joe Biden just had a bad night during the disastrous Thursday debate or if he has a “condition.”
As background, many questions about President Biden’s cognitive health cropped up in the wake of the debate, with many people arguing that Biden needs to take a cognitive test to see if he is mentally competent enough for the presidency. White House Press Secretary KJP, however, shot down that idea, saying, “We have put forward a thorough, transparent annual report on his health, so they have said it is not warranted, it is not necessary.”
Speaking about that issue, Rep. Pelosi, who has so far been a generally staunch defender of Biden despite his age, said, “I think it’s a legitimate question to say, is this an episode, or is this a condition? And so when people ask that question, it’s completely legitimate — of both candidates.” She added, “Both candidates owe whatever test you want to put them to, in terms of their mental acuity and their health — both of them.”
She added that she has heard “mixed” opinions on Biden’s cognitive health in the wake of the debate, saying, “Some are like, ‘Well, how can we subject the [nomination] process to what might be possible? Others are, ‘Joe is our guy. We love him. We trust him. He has vision, knowledge, judgment, integrity.’ I trust his judgment.”
She also noted that it will be “essential” for President Biden to do “not one, maybe two” interviews with journalists to show that he can keep it together, with those interviews needing to be unscripted and not using a teleprompter. Explaining that it would be a chance for him to demonstrate his capabilities, she said, “That would be a great thing for him.”
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Pelosi also said, during an interview with CNN’s Dana Bash, that President Biden can still reverse the bad impression that he has so far made and win the race. Saying as much, she claimed, “My people are very much Biden-Kamala Harris and this is an opportunity for Joe Biden to go out there and show he has the stamina.”
Continuing, she argued, “And by the way, while the press and for some reason they don‘t – there are health care professionals who think that Trump has dementia, that his connection, his thoughts do not go together. Not only that he just lies, he doesn‘t even know the truth, so if we‘re just talking about mental acuity, let’s be fair about it.”
She did, however, admit that it was not a good night for President Biden. She said, “We know how attuned he is to the issues, we know how informed he is. I debate with him about the issues, not debate, but discuss it with him. He‘s right there. So, in any case, it was a bad night. Let’s not sugarcoat that. It was a bad night. It was a great presidency. And that’s what the American people have to choose.”
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