'Joe Biden is way overdue': Internet weighs in as Ronald Reagan's daughter says cognitive tests for presidential candidates are a 'good idea'

Ronald Reagan's daughter said cognitive tests for presidential contenders are a 'good idea' amid concerns about Biden and Trump's fitness
PUBLISHED FEB 19, 2024
Ronald Reagan's daughter Patti Davis (L) backed cognitive tests for presidential candidates as Joe Biden and Donald Trump close in for a rematch (NBC News screenshot/YouTube, Getty Images)
Ronald Reagan's daughter Patti Davis (L) backed cognitive tests for presidential candidates as Joe Biden and Donald Trump close in for a rematch (NBC News screenshot/YouTube, Getty Images)

WASHINGTON, DC: Former President Ronald Reagan's daughter, actress Patti Davis, suggested that cognitive tests for presidential candidates are a "good idea," reported Fox News.

Her remarks came in light of the 2024 presidential election, leading up to a potential showdown between 81-year-old incumbent Joe Biden and 77-year-old former president Donald Trump.

Before Biden was elected in 2020, Reagan was the oldest person to become President at the age of 69 in 1981.

In an interview with NBC's 'Meet the Press', host Kristen Welker queried Davis about the necessity of cognitive tests for presidential candidates, pointing out Biden is in his 80s and Trump is in his late 70s.

"Probably, yeah. And just what we know about what age can do, it doesn't always do that, but it would probably be a good idea. Yeah I know, my father was 77 when he left office after two terms, and it seems so young now, doesn't it?" the actress responded.



 

Speculation on Biden and Trump's cognitive fitness

Concerns regarding Biden's cognitive ability shadowed his re-election bid after a special counsel report pointed at his inability to remember things, including his elder son's death date. The report by special counsel Robert Hur described the President as an "elderly man with poor memory."

However, the White House announced the President would not be taking a cognitive test due to the bombshell report.

Similarly, Trump, who had boasted about acing a cognitive fitness test, raised similar concerns in early January when he mixed up the names of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi with Nikki Haley and blamed the latter for the January 6 Capitol attack.

CLEVELAND, OH - JULY 21:  Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump delivers a speech during th
Donald Trump bragged about acing two cognitive tests (Getty Images)

Responding to the blunder, GOP presidential primary opponent Haley questioned his mental acuity.

Patti Davis says her father was not 'fractured in age'

Along with supporting the idea of cognitive tests for presidential contenders, Davis took the opportunity to laud Reagan's presidential actions despite his age.

When asked if it felt he was old at the time, she said, "I don't think it did because it was '87, I believe, when he stood in front of the Berlin Wall and said 'Mr Gorbachev, tear down this wall', so that was not someone who was fractured in age. I mean yes, I probably thought he was old because he was my father and we think that about our parents, but not in the way that we are talking about now."

circa 1985:  American president Ronald Reagan makes an announcement from his desk at the White House
Ronald Reagan was 69 when he entered the White House in 1981 (Getty Images)

She further added her father would be "appalled" by the present condition of politics. Stating he did not adhere to lack of civility, attacking another person, and cruelty, she added that's what the country is dealing with now, and her father would be "really scared for our democracy."

Reagan was 77 when he left the office after serving two presidential terms.

Internet calls for cognitive test as a 'requirement'

Netizens concurred with Davis' suggestion to conduct cognitive tests for presidential contenders, adding that President Biden should be forced to take one.

WASHINGTON, DC - NOVEMBER 06: U.S. President Joe Biden speaks during a press conference in the State
Netizens demanded President Joe Biden take a cognitive test (Getty Images)

One user said, "JOE BIDEN is WAY over DUE."



 

Another user remarked, "If older people need to retake a driver's test after a certain age or illness, then a president needs to take a cognitive test!"



 

"Everyone with a brain believes that. It should be a requirement on anyone that has a desire to be president," a third response read.



 

A fourth user added, "But trump will never accept the result."



 

"Why won't Biden get a cognitive test?? HE KNOWS HE WOULD FAIL BIDEN SHOULD BE FORCED TO TAKE A COGNITIVE TEST," one user wrote.



 

This article contains remarks made on the Internet by individual people and organizations. MEAWW cannot confirm them independently and does not support claims or opinions being made online.

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