Full List of Republicans Demanding Joe Biden Takes a Cognitive Test
Representative Ronny Jackson is leading 13 of his Republican colleagues in the House of Representatives in calling on President Joe Biden to undergo a cognitive test.
Jackson, a Republican who represents Texas' 13th congressional district, served as former President Donald Trump's White House physician and suffered criticism for his effusive praise of Trump's health
The 14 Republicans have signed a letter calling on Biden to take a cognitive assessment and pointed to examples of what they described as the president's "mental decline."
"Unfortunately, your mental decline and forgetfulness have become more apparent over the past 18 months," the letter reads.
It goes on to outline examples of this, such as Biden appearing to briefly forget Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's name and failing to complete the first line of the Declaration of Independence.
"We encourage you to follow the example set by President Trump by undergoing a cognitive test as soon as possible and immediately making the results available for the American people," the letter says.
There was some confusion in 2020 when former President Donald Trump claimed to have "aced" a cognitive test administered at the Walter Reed National Medical Center. It later became clear he was referring to a test he took in 2018 and not a more recent evaluation.
The 14 Republicans who signed the letter are Ronny Jackson of Texas, Bob Gibbs of Ohio, Jeff Duncan of South Carolina, Andy Harris of Maryland, Brian Babin of Texas, Jody Hice of Georgia, Claudia Tenney of New York, Gregory Steube of Florida, Tom Tiffany of Wisconsin, Kat Cammack of Florida, Jerry Carl of Alabama, Pat Fallon of Texas, Diana Harshbarger of Tennessee and Beth Van Duyne of Texas.
Trump became the subject of ridicule in 2020 when he repeatedly referred to how well he had performed in his earlier cognitive test.
He reportedly had a perfect 30 out of 30 score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MOCA). The test was widely regarded as simple, with questions such as asking the person to draw a clock showing 11.10. The assessment is designed to test for impairments, not to gauge intelligence, according to The Washington Post.
The Republican signatories want Biden to take MOCA and to publish the results.
Speaking to Fox News' Sean Hannity on Thursday about Biden's mental fitness, Jackson said: "We can't sit on this any longer."
"He's not physically or cognitively fit to be our president right now," Jackson said.
In March, a Defense Department inspector general's investigation alleged Jackson had "bullied" subordinates and "engaged in inappropriate conduct involving the use of alcohol" while serving at the White House. Jackson denied the allegations.
He served as physician to the president during the Obama and Trump administrations and had joined the White House Medical Unit (WHMU) under former President George W. Bush. Jackson was also Trump's unsuccessful nominee to lead the Department of Veterans Affairs.
Newsweek has asked Representative Ronny Jackson and the White House for comment.
