Trump calls for drug test ahead of presidential debates, cites Biden’s past performance
Former US President Donald Trump has demanded that US President Joe Biden undergo a drug test before the first of two scheduled presidential debates of June
Former US President Donald Trump has demanded that US President Joe Biden take a drug test before the first of two scheduled presidential debates next month.
Trump made the remarks during a dinner with fellow Republicans in St. Paul, Minnesota, referencing Biden’s State of the Union address in March, where he claimed the 81-year-old President appeared to be “high as a kite.”
“I just want to debate this guy, but you know – and I’m gonna demand a drug test too, by the way,” Trump said. “No, I really am. I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union. He was high as a kite. We’re going to demand a drug test.”
Reacting to Trump’s demand, former Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele invited Trump to take the lead and undergo a drug test first. During Saturday morning’s edition of MSNBC’s “The Weekend,” Steele criticized Trump for creating a needless distraction before the first 2024 presidential debate.
“Why do we continue to follow this foolishness this way and take any of it seriously because it isn’t?” Steele said. “It is all distractive noise leading to nothing. This race is about the competency of both of these men to run this country — one wants to be a dictator, folks.”
This is not the first time Trump has called for Biden to undergo a drug test. In 2020, he suggested Biden’s performances in the Democratic primaries were “uneven” and demanded a drug test before their debates, a demand that did not materialize. Both candidates completed their debates without any such test.
Trump’s recent comments echo accusations from other Republicans. Representative Greg Murphy, co-chair of the GOP Doctors Caucus, also suggested without evidence that Biden “must have been jacked up on something that day” during his address.
The upcoming debates between Trump and Biden are scheduled for June 27 and Sept. 10. It remains unclear whether Trump will submit himself to a drug test as well.
During the St. Paul event, Trump also mocked Biden for making “brief, incoherent marks” during a speech on Monday, which he claimed led aides to guide Biden off stage. Adding humor to his critique, Trump’s teleprompter fell over before he took the stage. He used the mishap to poke fun at Biden, saying, “Suppose that happened to Biden. He’d go like this – ‘bye’
Source: Newsroom
