White House confirms Biden will not take cognitive test — despite damning Hur report

Photo byWhite House

After reports of his "hazy" and "poor" memory made national headlines, President Biden will become the first U.S. president to refuse a cognitive test, the White House confirmed Monday.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Biden's physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, does not believe a cognitive test is necessary for his upcoming physical exam. She said O'Connor believes Biden proves his cognitive ability "every day in how he operates and how he thinks."

Reporters pressed Jean-Pierre on the issue due to last week's report from Special Counsel Robert Hur that questioned if Biden was mentally fit enough to lead the country. The report referred to the 81-year-old Biden's memory as "hazy" and "poor."

"Does the White House think that the idea of the president taking a cognitive test as a part of this physical is a legitimate idea?" a reporter asked.

"I'm just gonna say what Dr. O'Connor said to me about a year ago when [Biden's physical] was released," Jean-Pierre responded. "The president proves [himself] every day in how he operates and how he thinks, by dealing with world leaders, by making difficult decisions on behalf of the American people – whether it's domestic or it's national security."

Jean-Pierre defended Biden once again when reporters continued to press her on the topic. She said she has known Biden for more than a decade and continues to find him to be "sharp" and "on top of things."

"When we have meetings with him and his staff he is constantly pushing us, trying to get more information, and so that has been my experience with this president," she said.

Recently, Hur said that prosecutors would struggle to prove if Biden "willfully" retained classified information and that a jury would likely view the commander-in-chief as a “sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory” and “diminished faculties in advancing age.”

After reporters posed questions about the descriptions of his mental state in Hur's 383-page report, Biden fired back.

"I'm well-meaning and I'm an elderly man," the president said. "I know what the hell I'm doing. I've been president and I put this country back on its feet. I don't need his recommendation."

Despite Biden insisting that his memory is fine, recent polling has found that his age is a major issue for a majority of Americans -- including Democrats. A Sunday poll from ABC/Ipsos found that 86% of Americans believe Biden is too old to serve another term, including 73% of Democrats.

In September, an ABC News/Washington Post poll showed 74% of Americans believed the president was too old to run for re-election, and 49% said the same about Trump.

During the 2020 presidential race, in which he ultimately lost to Biden, Trump boasted of having "aced" a cognitive test and criticized Biden for not being up to the task.

“He hasn’t taken any cognitive test because he wouldn’t pass one,” Trump told Fox News host Sean Hannity in a phone interview.

“I proved I was all there because I aced it,” Trump claimed. “I aced the test, and he should take the same exact test."

Biden has yet to take a cognitive test since being sworn into the Oval Office.