Topline
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Wednesday suggested President Joe Biden taking a cognitive test may help clamp down concerns about his mental acuity, as the president faces growing calls from critics and even Democratic lawmakers to bow out of the presidential race.
Key Facts
During an interview with the Michigan governor on CNN, anchor Abby Phillip asked if Biden should “just go ahead and take a cognitive test and demand that Donald Trump do the same?”
Whitmer responded, “I don’t think that would hurt, to be honest,” before acknowledging that the first presidential debate was “not a great success” for Biden.
Whitmer, however, praised Biden as a “happy warrior” who “shows up everyday and fights for the American public.”
Drawing a contrast between Biden and former President Donald Trump, Whitmer said Biden cares about others more than he cares about himself and then “we have Donald Trump, who’s been convicted of 34 felonies, who cares only about Donald Trump.”
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Crucial Quote
Whitmer also rejected calls for Biden to drop out of the race saying: “We have a field, and unless one person, Joe Biden, makes an alternative decision, this is the field, and we’ve got to go.”
Contra
President Biden has both dismissed calls to withdraw from the race or take a cognitive exam after his poor debate performance last month. In an interview last week with ABC News anchor George Stephanopoulos, Biden said the challenges of his job were equal to getting “a full neurological test every day.” When asked about his willingness to take such a test, Biden said “no one said I had to,” referring to his physicians.
Key Background
Whitmer’s comments come just hours after the Washington Post published an op-ed by Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., urging Biden to drop out of the presidential race—the first Democratic Senator to publicly make such a request. Welch praised Biden as a “man of uncommon decency” but said the president’s “disastrous debate performance” has made him worried about November’s election. Welch’s post called Trump a “pathological liar” and a “felon,” but warned that people from his state are worried that Biden may not be able to beat him this time. Welch is the latest among a growing list of Democratic lawmakers in Congress who have called for Biden to withdraw. Others in the list include Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., Rep. Pat Ryan, D-N.Y., Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., Rep. Angie Craig, D-Minn., and Rep. Mike Quigley, D-Ill.
Here’s What A Cognitive Test Would—And Wouldn’t—Say About Biden’s Ability To Serve As President (Forbes)
First Senate Democrat Calls For Biden To Drop Out (Forbes)
Rep. Pat Ryan Becomes 10th Congress Member Calling For Biden Replacement: Here’s The Full List (Forbes)
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