Biden hits back at reporter asking if he took a cognitive test: ‘Are you a junkie?’
By Max Cohen
Politico
August 5, 2020
Joe Biden rebuked a reporter who asked
if the former vice president had taken a cognitive test, claiming that
asking the question was similar to asking the interviewer if he was
using cocaine.
CBS correspondent Errol Barnett
prompted the presumptive Democratic nominee to clarify if he had taken a
test measuring his mental acuity, leading to a tense exchange.
"No,
I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test? Come on,
man,” Biden said. “That's like saying to you, before you got on this
program if you had taken a test were you taking cocaine or not. What do
you think, huh? Are you a junkie?"
A clip from the interview,
which was conducted as part of the virtual convention of the National
Association of Black Journalists and the National Association of
Hispanic Journalists, was released Wednesday morning.
"It was a preposterous question
deserving of a response that showed the absurdity of it all," a Biden
campaign official told POLITICO.
Biden has long bristled at claims that
he is mentally slowing. President Donald Trump’s reelection campaign is
prioritizing Biden’s cognitive ability as a key issue, aiming to
portray Biden as doddering and incompetent.
At a press conference in late June, a
reporter asked Biden if he had taken a cognitive test. The former vice
president did not directly answer and instead claimed he was “constantly tested” by the demands of the campaign trail.
“I can hardly wait to compare my
cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I’m running
against,” Biden said at the time.
In the interview segment released on Wednesday, Biden again went after Trump.
"Well, if he can't figure out the
difference between an elephant and a lion, I don't know what the hell
he's talking about,” Biden said, referencing questions on Trump’s
reported cognitive test that made headlines during a July interview with Chris Wallace of Fox News.
Biden, who is 77, would be the oldest
person to assume the presidency on Inauguration Day if he is elected,
beating Trump, 74, who is the current record-holder.
4 comments:
Clearly Biden is loosing it. Any time he is in a non-controlled, non-scripted environment his train of thought goes off the tracks and he goes after whoever is handy to focus on. The debates, if they actually take place, should be LOTS of fun.
I don't like Joe Biden but I saw pain in his eyes as he grasped for words. For a moment he looked lost, angry then sad. I wouldn't wish Dementia or Alzheimer's disease on anyone. It is a cruel way to go. He is not mentally fit to be President.
There will be no debates Bob. A compelling reason for not doing it will surface at the last minute. You can bet on it.
Personally I am reasonably confident they will find a way to wiggle Biden out of it, though I confess I think it is possible he actually believes he is still sharp as a butter knife and will refuse to bow out thinking it will make him look bad. Of course they could always tell him Trump backed out, he'd never know the difference.
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