Ronald Reagan’s daughter, Patti Davis, does not want subsequent presidents of the United States to be mentally incapable. To that end, she thinks cognitive tests for sitting presidents would “probably be a good idea.”
Davis made the statement on Sunday during an interview with NBC Meet the Press’ Kristen Welker. Welker asked her about the issue of age in the upcoming presidential election, and Davis supported the idea of testing the mental acuity of aging presidents like Joe Biden, who is 81.
“Just what we know about what age can do—it doesn’t always do that—but it would probably be a good idea,” she says. “My father was 77 when he left office. That seems so young now, doesn’t it?” she added.
Reagan, at 69, was the oldest president ever to take power when he took office. Biden and former president Donald Trump have both beaten that record. If he wins this year, Trump will clock 78 on inauguration in 2025, and Biden will be 82.
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Reagan’s policies have little in common with Biden’s. However, the conservative president was also the subject of cognitive decline during his years in office.
Reagan unveiled his struggles with Alzheimer’s disease at age 83, five years after leaving the presidency. But many believed his battles started while he was still holding the reins.
Biden’s memory issues have become a linchpin of Democratic anxiety over the upcoming election. In a stunning report that ultimately cleared Biden of criminal wrongdoing, special counsel Robert Hur made several incendiary comments about the president’s mental decline.
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Biden’s allies have called it unprofessional and partisan, but his enemies have seized on it. Donald Trump’s mental acuity has also been questioned to a lesser extent. But only after he confused Republican rival Nikki Haley for Democratic former speaker Nancy Pelosi.
Such things happen, and it is not enough reason to suspect the 77-year-old of not being in control of his mental faculties. As the general elections inch closer, some Democrats hope Biden will step down from the race.
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Talk of him stepping down has many looking at his Vice, Kamala Harris. While Biden’s mental acuity is being doubted, she remains a staunch supporter of him. However, she has stated her readiness to take his place should the need arise.
Harris has publicly stated that she is ready to serve, and if people keep losing faith in Biden, she might have to do that. Will she be able to beat Trump if she goes up against him? Only time can tell.
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