Joe Biden says has not undergone specific cognitive tests amid claims of 'increased lapses' following his poor performance in last week's presidential debate.
“Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden told ABC’s George Stephanopoulos, referring to the tasks he faces daily in a rigorous job. “Every day, I’ve had tests. Everything I do.” He insisted that he was not more frail and that he is “still in good shape.” He said he has an “ongoing assessment” by his personal doctors and they “don’t hesitate to tell me” if something is wrong.
However when asked if he has had a specific test to test his cognitive abilities, Biden said: "No, nobody said I had to.". As for the debate, “I didn’t listen to my instincts in terms of preparing,” Biden said. He also insisted he was the “most qualified” to lead Democrats against presumptive Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.
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The 22-minute interview, paired with a weekend campaign in battleground Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, was part of Biden’s rigorous efforts to course correct from his debate performance last week. But the president’s push was not yet quelling internal party frustrations, with one influential Democratic senator working on a nascent push that would encourage the president to exit the race and Democrats quietly chatting about where they would go next if the president drops out — or what it would mean if he stays in.
Still, in Wisconsin, Biden was focused on proving his capacity to remain as president. When asked whether he would halt his campaign, he told reporters he was “completely ruling that out” and said he is “positive” he could serve for another four years. At a rally in front of hundreds of supporters he acknowledged his subpar debate performance but insisted, “I am running, and I’m going to win again.”
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“I beat Donald Trump,” a forceful Biden said, as the crowd gathered in a local middle school cheered and waved campaign signs. “I will beat him again.”
Biden, relying on a teleprompter for his remarks, attacked his presumptive Republican challenger almost immediately, laying into Trump by pointing out that the former president once said that “George Washington’s army won the revolution by taking control of the airports from the British.”
Amid laughter, Biden continued, “Talk about me misspeaking.”
In his speech, Biden tried to flip the questions swirling about his age, asking the crowd whether he was “too old” to have passed gun legislation, created jobs and helped ease student loan debt — while suggesting he’d do more in a second presidential term.