Trump backs cognitive assessments for presidents after his personal sequence of slipups, together with declare Biden would push US into WWII

Former President Donald Trump got here out in favor of psychological competency check for presidents — regardless of a latest sequence of gaffes himself, together with accusing “cognitively impaired” President Biden of launching the US into “World Warfare II.”

Voicing his opposition to age limits on presidents, Trump predictably boasted that he’d “aced” a competency check when he was in workplace as he threw his assist round them.

“No, however there must be a competency. I’m all for the check,” Trump instructed NBC’s “Meet the Press” in an interview that aired Sunday.

“I took a check two years in the past, three years in the past,” Trump added. “And I aced it. I bought all the things proper.”

One in every of his rivals, 2024 presidential hopeful Nikki Haley, 51, has known as for obligatory assessments for politicians ages 75 and up.

That would come with each Trump, 77, and Biden, 80.

A latest CBS Information/YouGov survey discovered that 77% of US adults sampled favor a most age for politicians.

“It’s at all times time for a brand new technology. However, you recognize, a number of the biggest world leaders have been of their 80s,” Trump mentioned within the interview. “And Biden’s not too outdated. I don’t suppose Biden’s too outdated. However I feel he’s incompetent, and that’s an even bigger downside.”

On Friday, Trump raised eyebrows with throughout a speech on the “Pray Vote Stand” summit in Washington, DC, throughout which he claimed that “cognitively impaired” Biden would careen the US into “World Warfare Two” if he received a second time period.

In one other mishap, Trump appeared to insinuate that he was eclipsing former President Barack Obama within the polls.

“As you recognize, crooked Joe Biden and the unconventional left thugs have weaponized legislation enforcement to arrest their main political opponent, and main by rather a lot, together with Obama — I’ll let you know what,” Trump mused. 

“You check out Obama and try a number of the issues that he’s carried out, this is identical factor,” he continued. “The nation could be very divided and we did – with Obama, we received an election that everybody mentioned couldn’t be received.”

Obama was president when Trump dispatched Hillary Clinton within the 2016 election.

Trump’s chief GOP foe, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, 45, argued final week that “they in all probability would have put an age restrict on a few of these workplaces.”

“The presidency is just not a job for somebody that’s 80 years outdated,” he instructed CBS Information. “You’re speaking a few job the place it’s essential to give it 100%. We’d like an lively president. And I feel that if the founders might sort of have a look at this once more, I do suppose they in all probability would have put an age restrict on a few of these workplaces.”

Biden can also be no stranger to public slipups. Final 12 months, for example, he known as out for late Indiana Rep. Jackie Walorski throughout a White House occasion roughly eight weeks after she died.

Extra lately, he falsely advised he at Floor Zero the day after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist assault. Biden’s autobiography positioned him in Washington, DC.

Trump, who famously likes to drink Coca-Cola and chow down McDonalds, continued to downplay his age through the NBC interview and underscored his robust genetics.

“Effectively, I can be towards the top,” Trump mentioned when average Kristen Welker famous he’d be in his 80s. “My father lived for much longer than that. My mom lived for much longer than that. So genetically, that’s an excellent factor.”

Trump’s father, Fred lived to 93 and his mom, Mary Anne MacLeod to 88. On the finish of a hypothetical second time period, Trump could be 82.

Polls have pegged widespread unease about Biden’s age. At 80, he’s already the oldest president in US historical past and could be 86 by the conclusion of a second hypothetical time period.

Trump beforehand conveyed an analogous sentiment about age throughout an interview with Megyn Kelly on her SiriusXM program.

“So many individuals, they have been phenomenal of their 80s. There’s an amazing knowledge for those who’re not ready like him. However for those who return 25 years, he wasn’t within the sharpest tack both,” he mentioned.

Each Trump and Biden stay the undisputed frontrunners of their respective contests to be their social gathering’s customary bearer.