During a recent convention in Detroit, former President Donald Trump criticized President Joe Biden’s cognitive abilities, referencing a test he himself took in 2018 that showed no mental ability issues. However, Trump mistakenly referred to Texas Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson as “Doc. Ronny Johnson,” who was the White House physician during part of Trump’s presidency. Jackson had previously stated that Trump was the healthiest president in history after administering the cognitive test.
The video at the G7 summit showed President Biden wandering off from leaders, leading to criticism from the Trump campaign that he was a “brain-dead zombie.” However, it was later revealed that the video was cropped and a wider angle showed Biden turning to face a skydiver who had just landed. Despite this, the video was widely shared on right-wing media platforms as part of an ongoing narrative about Biden’s cognitive abilities.
In response to Trump’s birthday, the Biden campaign issued a statement listing 78 things Trump did this year, including references to felony convictions. James Singer, a Biden campaign spokesman, wished Trump a happy birthday while calling him a “crook, a failure, a fraud, and a threat to our democracy, economy, rights and future.” The exchanges between the two campaigns reflect the ongoing political rhetoric surrounding the current and former president’s cognitive health and leadership abilities.
