GOP Representative Greg Murphy suggested on Tuesday that Donald Trump may be "less a risk" in terms of getting dementia than President Joe Biden.
Speaking about the White House announcement that Biden is not planning to take a cognitive test during his upcoming physical, Murphy said, "It's a very well-known fact in medical literature that says someone's intelligence is tied to their risk of having dementia later on in life and those who are more intelligent have less a risk later on in life."
He continued: "Joe has proven in his younger scholar days, when he was near the bottom of his law school class, that he's not as intelligent as maybe President Trump has been."
The North Carolina Republican added, "It's comparing apples and oranges, but I think, point-blank, if he wants to prove that he's intelligent, take a damn test."
Murphy made the comments during an interview on Fox Business' Mornings With Maria.
The Context
On Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said that Dr. Kevin O'Connor, Biden's physician, did not consider it necessary for the president to take a cognitive test during his physical.
"I'm just going to say what Dr. O'Connor said to me about a year ago when [Biden's physical] was released," Jean-Pierre said during a press conference. "The president proves 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.
"That is how Dr. O'Connor sees it, and that is how I'm going to leave it," she said.
What We Know
Biden has faced repeated questioning about his memory and age following last week's report from a Department of Justice special counsel on his handling of classified documents when he was vice president.
The report said the department will not pursue charges against the president, stating, "Mr. Biden would likely present himself to a jury, as he did during our interview of him, as a sympathetic, well-meaning, elderly man with a poor memory."
Newsweek reached out to the White House via email for comment.
Views
In response, Vice President Kamala Harris slammed the special counsel's report, saying, "The way that the president's demeanor in that report was characterized could not be more wrong on the facts and clearly politically motivated, gratuitous."
On Monday, Biden joked about his age, saying, "I've been around. I know I don't look like it, but I've been around awhile.... I do remember that."
What's Next
A recent poll from ABC News/Ipsos found that 59 percent of Americans believe that both Biden and Trump are "too old" to serve another term as president. According to the survey, 27 percent said only Biden is too old for the job, while 3 percent said only Trump is.
Update, 2/13/24, 10:40 a.m. ET: This story has been updated with more information and background.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
About the writer
Matthew Impelli is a Newsweek staff writer based in New York. His focus is reporting social issues and crime. In ... Read more
To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.
