Former daytime TV psychologist Dr. Phill McGraw said he thinks President Biden should go forward with a cognitive test in order to prove that he has “nothing to hide,” as questions about the incumbent’s age and mental acuity arise amid his reelection campaign.
When asked by host Bill Maher on whether Biden should take a test, McGraw said “why not?”
“People that have nothing to hide, hide nothing. So, why not?” he answered in the panel interview Friday evening on “Real Time with Bill Maher,” highlighted by Mediaite.
Biden, 81, is the oldest sitting president in U.S. history. The likely Republican nominee, former President Trump, who has also faced some scrutiny over his age, is 77.
A new survey found that 86 percent of Americans believe Biden is too old to serve in office, while 56 percent believe both Biden and Trump are too old.
Those concerns were only exacerbated by a recent report from special counsel Robert Hur, after reviewing classified documents found at his old vice presidential office and family home in Delaware, which described the president as an “elderly man with a poor memory.”
Biden angrily defended himself, his memory and age in a press conference after the report’s publishing. He cursed and insisted that his memory is fine, but later mistakenly referred to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi as the “president of Mexico.”
Despite the mishaps, the president’s doctor released the results of his physical exam last week, but they determined he did not need a cognitive test. Trump has called on Biden to take one and said the results would prove “why he makes such terrible decisions.”
Trump said all presidents and presidential candidates should be required to take a cognitive exam. He’s also for years bragged about his ability to pass a test designed to detect early signs of cognitive decline or dementia.
Biden’s team and Democrats in Congress have maintained that he is capable of doing the job and is handling complicated issues — like the respective wars in Ukraine and Gaza, as well as the southern border — just fine.