Trump’s White House physician says Democrats should demand Joe Biden take cognitive test

Democrats should demand that President Joe Biden take the same cognitive test that was passed by his predecessor, Donald Trump’s former White House physician says.

Freshman Representative Ronny Jackson, a Republican from Texas who was elected to Congress after serving as Trump’s top White House doctor, thinks that Biden should be administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to test for memory impairment, dementia, and other possible maladies. 

‘I think he’s demonstrating every single day that there is something going on,’ Jackson told Fox News on Saturday.

‘You don’t need to be a physician to look at this behavior and see there’s something concerning happening.

‘He’s just not aging gracefully at this point.’ 

Biden, who is known for misspeaking and making verbal gaffes, has had his cognitive fitness questioned after mixing up the names of aides and colleagues while seeming to forget job titles and other details.

During a news conference at last month’s G7 summit meeting in the United Kingdom, Biden appeared to mix up Syria and Libya three times.

He has also mistakenly referred to his vice president, Kamala Harris, as ‘President Harris.’ 

DailyMail.com has reached out to the White House seeking comment. 

House Rep. Ronny Jackson, a Republican from Texas who was elected to Congress after serving as former President Donald Trump’s top White House doctor, thinks that President Biden should be administered the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) to test for memory impairment, dementia, and other possible maladies. Jackson is seen above on January 4

Biden, who is known for misspeaking and making verbal gaffes, has had his cognitive fitness questioned after mixing up the names of aides and colleagues while seeming to forget job titles and other details. The president is seen above in New Castle, Delaware on Saturday

Biden, who is known for misspeaking and making verbal gaffes, has had his cognitive fitness questioned after mixing up the names of aides and colleagues while seeming to forget job titles and other details. The president is seen above in New Castle, Delaware on Saturday

The Texas representative’s comments came after former President Trump took a trip to survey his southern border wall on Wednesday where he said Biden should take the test.

‘And there’s my doctor right over there, my doctor,’ Trump said. ‘He said, ‘You know sir, if you want, you’re really smart, you ought to take the cognitive test,” Trump recalled. ‘But he did a test. Did I ace it? I aced it,’ the ex-president continued, adding ‘I’d like to see Biden’ take it.

Trump detailed that the first few questions are identifying animals.

‘He’s gonna have a little hard time,’ Trump said of Biden. ‘I think he’s going to have a hard time with the first few, actually.’

He also accused Biden of being ‘incompetent’ and having a ‘screw loose’ as he spoke during a press briefing alongside Texas Governor Greg Abbott.

Jackson said Trump set a precedent when he agreed to undergo the testing. The 45th president was known to give rambling, run-on statements in press interviews that prompted observers to question his cognitive fitness.

‘The far left and the mainstream media were demanding that be the new standard for anybody who’s going to lead our country and be our Commander-in-Chief and our head of state,’ Jackson told Fox News on Saturday.

‘I’m just saying I agree with them at this point – we need to get it done.’

Jackson added: ‘You can go back – there’s forty years of tape of this man – he’s always made gaffes and stuff but these are different, he’s confused, he’s disoriented,’ the congressman said.

‘We all know people who are 100-years old, who basically are as sharp as a tack, and we know people who are in their mid-60s that having some cognitive difficulties…and I think he’s on that end of the spectrum.’

Last month, the White House said Biden plans to take his annual physical ‘later this year.’

The White House has committed to releasing the results of a medical check-up before the end of they year, but officials are generally reluctant to discuss the president’s health.  

‘I’m just asking them, when you do the physical exam include the cognitive assessment,’ Jackson said.

‘As far as I’m concerned the standard precedent has been set and they need to follow and do the same.’ 

Confusing Libya and Syria, tripping up the stairs, and calling Kamala Harris ‘president’: Biden’s numerous gaffes over the years 

Over the past few years, President Joe Biden has made the news for things he’s said and done – but not related to policy.

Rather the 78-year-old has had a knack for gaffes. 

During speeches or while answering questions, Biden is known to make mistakes, have mix-ups or even digress. 

The commander-in-chief has even been caught tripping a time or two, raising speculation about his physical health.

DailyMail.com has compiled many of Biden’s notable mis-speaks. foot-in-mouth moments and slips.

REPEATEDLY MIXING UP LIBYA AND SYRIA

'I'm hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in — for example, in — in Libya,' the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, in the Middle East. Biden is pictured in Cornwall, United Kingdom on June 13

‘I’m hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in — for example, in — in Libya,’ the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, in the Middle East. Biden is pictured in Cornwall, United Kingdom on June 13

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that it was indeed, Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war, which the president was referring to

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that it was indeed, Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war, which the president was referring to

Biden repeatedly confused Syria with Libya while discussing ways of working with Russia during a press conference at the G7 on June 13.

The 78-year-old gaffe machine spoke of working with Russian President Vladimir Putin to provide economic assistance to the people of Libya, prompting some confused glances from the press pack at the G7 summit in Cornwall, England.

‘I’m hopeful that we can find an accommodation where we can save the lives of people in — for example, in — in Libya,’ the president said, mentioning the north African country for the third time instead of Syria, which is in the Middle East.

The White House later brushed the confusion off, confirming that the president was indeed referring to Syria, the country where Russia and the US have been involved in a decade-long civil war.  

TRIPPING WHILE BOARDING AIR FORCE ONE 

Over the years, President Joe Biden has made numerous gaffes and mix-ups and has even been caught falling. Pictured: Biden falling while walking up the stairs of Air Force One on March 19

Over the years, President Joe Biden has made numerous gaffes and mix-ups and has even been caught falling. Pictured: Biden falling while walking up the stairs of Air Force One on March 19

On March 19, he was caught tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews

On March 19, he was caught tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews

On March 19, video captured Biden tripping up the stairs as he boarded Air Force One at Joint Base Andrews. 

In the clip, Biden stumbles as he walks up the airstairs. He grabs the hand railing to catch his balance, but then loses his footing two additional times.

During the third stumble, he falls to his knees. However, after brushing off his leg, he reaches the top of the plane and gives a salute before disappearing inside.

White House Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later told reporters that Biden was ‘100 percent fine’ and preparing for his trip in Atlanta. 

‘It’s pretty windy outside. It’s very windy. I almost fell coming up the steps myself,’ she said.

CALLING KAMALA ‘PRESIDENT HARRIS’

Just one day earlier, during a press conference on March 18 (pictured), he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as 'President Harris'

Just one day earlier, during a press conference on March 18 (pictured), he referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as ‘President Harris’

Just one day earlier, Biden accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as ‘President Harris.’

The gaffe occurred during a press conference on March 18, during which he lauded his administration for being close to meeting their goal of 100 million COVID-19 vaccine doses in his first 100 days in office.

‘Now when President Harris and I took a virtual tour of a vaccination center in Arizona not long ago, one of the nurses on that, on that tour injecting people, giving vaccinations, said that each shot was like administering a dose of hope,’ Biden said.

Harris was standing behind Biden as the president carried on with his speech, but did not correct himself.

Later that day, when the White House released the transcript of his speech, Harris’s proper title was inserted with brackets.

FORGOT NAME OF SECRETARY OF DEFENSE

On March 9, while making a speech, Biden seemed to forget the name of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (above)

On March 9, while making a speech, Biden seemed to forget the name of Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin (above)

In a speech on March 9, Biden seemed to fumble with his words and forget the name of his Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin.

‘I want to thank Sec – the former general – I keep calling him “General,”‘ Biden said.

‘My – the guy who runs that outfit over there. I want to make sure we thank the Secretary for all he’s done to try to implement what we’ve just talked about, and for recommending these two women for promotion.’   

The slip-occurred despite the fact that just a few minutes earlier, he had mentioned Austin’s name in the speech without an issue.

INTRODUCES GRANDDAUGHTER AS HIS SON

On Election Day, in November, Biden introduced a crowd to his granddaughter, but referred to her as his son

On Election Day, in November, Biden introduced a crowd to his granddaughter, but referred to her as his son

During an Election Day speech in Philadelphia, Biden stumbled over his words and confused his granddaughter with his late son, Beau Biden. 

Biden told the crowd: ‘I want to introduce you to two of my granddaughters…this is my son, Beau Biden who a lot of you helped elect to the Senate in Delaware.’

The commander-in-chief had meant to introduce the crowed to Natalie, Beau’s daughter, but hadn’t just mixed up the name but the person – he also put his arm around Finnegan Biden, Hunter’s daughter.

He finally corrected himself as he draped his arm around Natalie’s shoulder and said: ‘This is Natalie, this is Beau’s daughter.’  

Beau Biden passed away in 2015 after a months-long battle with glioblastoma, one of the deadliest types of brain cancer. 

TOLD STATE SENATOR IN WHEELCHAIR TO STAND UP

In 2008, Biden told then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham to stand up for the crowd at a rally, before realizing he was in a wheelchair

In 2008, Biden told then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham to stand up for the crowd at a rally, before realizing he was in a wheelchair

Not all of Biden’s gaffes occurred in the 2020s or even the 2010s. In fact, some happened in the early aughts.

In September 2008, after Biden had been named former President Barack Obama’s running mate, he attended a campaign rally in Missouri.

It was there that he called on then-Missouri state senator Chuck Graham, who passed away last year. to stand up for the crowd.

‘I’m told Chuck Graham, state senator, is here. Stand up Chuck, let ’em see you,’ Biden said.

It was at that moment he realized Graham was in a wheelchair due to muscular dystrophy.

‘Oh, God love you. What am I talking about. I’ll tell you what, you’re making everybody else stand up, though, pal.’

According to the Columbia Tribune, Graham said he was never offended by the mistake.        

Jackson was promoted to a White House physician while still deployed in Iraq in 2006. 

He’s served in three administrations – those of Presidents George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump – and held a variety of positions, including the physician supervisor for Camp David, before being promoted to physician to the president under Obama in 2013. 

Jackson himself was subject to an Inspector General’s report in March that found he engaged in ‘inappropriate conduct’ involving alcohol use, ‘disparaged’ and ‘belittled’ subordinates.

He was Trump’s unsuccessful nominee in 2018 to become the Secretary of Veterans Affairs.

The congressman announced last month that he has sent Biden a letter urging him to take a cognitive test.

Jackson has been circulating the letter with House colleagues and has been able to get the signatures of 13 GOP lawmakers.

The letter cites the president’s ‘mental decline and forgetfulness’, notes several of his ‘gaffes’, and urges the White House to publish the test results immediately. 

It was addressed to the president, his physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor and Chief Medical Advisor Dr. Anthony Fauci, and called on the Biden to share the results with the country. 

The congressman announced last month that he has sent Biden a letter urging him to take a cognitive test. Jackson has been circulating the letter with House colleagues and has been able to get the signatures of 13 GOP lawmakers

The congressman announced last month that he has sent Biden a letter urging him to take a cognitive test. Jackson has been circulating the letter with House colleagues and has been able to get the signatures of 13 GOP lawmakers

‘The American people deserve to have absolute confidence in their president,’ it read. 

‘They deserve to know that he or she can perform the duties demanded of the office, and they deserve to have full transparency on the mental state of their highest elected leader. 

‘I would argue that the American people don’t have that confidence in President Biden.’ 

It goes on to list examples of moments of the president’s apparent confusion – forgetting the name of the Defense Secretary, muddling Air Force One with Air Force Two, and apparently forgetting the words to the first line of the Declaration of Independence. 

‘Just everything that has been going on for the last year and a half … [Biden] doesn’t know what’s going on, where he’s at. He’s very confused all the time,’ he said in an interview with The Hill. 

Jackson was the physician in the Obama and Trump administrations, but has never evaluated Biden. 

He was famous for his partisan diagnoses, on one occasion saying that Trump had ‘incredibly good genes’ and that ‘if he had a healthier diet over the last 20 years, he might live to be 200 years old.’

On a Trump campaign call in October, he said he was convinced Biden does ‘not have the mental capacity, the cognitive ability to serve as our commander in chief and head of state’.   

The letter went on to say how Trump’s opponents and the media ‘clamored for the then president to take a cognitive test. 

Trump ‘excelled’ at the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, it continued, before suggesting Biden was a prime candidate for further examination because of his forgetfulness. 

Then-President Donald Trump and Jackson are seen in the White House in 2017. Jackson served as White House physician for Obama and Trump until 2018 but did not provide care to Biden when he was Vice President

Then-President Donald Trump and Jackson are seen in the White House in 2017. Jackson served as White House physician for Obama and Trump until 2018 but did not provide care to Biden when he was Vice President

Trump later described the test, which he said he took to silence critics.  

‘It was 30 or 35 questions. The first questions are very easy,’ he told Fox News.

‘The last questions are much more difficult. Like a memory question

‘It’s like, you’ll go, ‘Person, woman, man, camera, TV.’ 

‘So they say, ‘Could you repeat that?’

‘So I said, ‘Yeah. So it’s, person, woman, man, camera, TV.’ 

‘OK, that’s very good. If you get it in order, you get extra points.’  

Can YOU pass the cognitive test taken by former President Trump?

This is a copy of the sheet the examiner and patient fill out during the 10-minute test

This is a copy of the sheet the examiner and patient fill out during the 10-minute test

Former President Donald Trump received a perfect score on a standard cognitive assessment test, his doctor revealed in a White House briefing in January 2018.

The 10-minute test, known as the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA), was created in 1996 for medical professionals to identify mild cognitive dysfunction.

It assesses concentration, attention, memory, language, calculations, orientation, executive functions and visual skills.

Trump scored 30 out of 30. A score above 26 is deemed ‘normal,’ while anything lower than that is cause for concern.

Those who do well on the test do not need further cognitive examination.

The average score is 27.4. People with mild cognitive impairment score an average of 22.1, while Alzheimer’s patients tend to score around 16.

First used in Montreal, Canada, the test is now one of the most respected methods of assessing cognitive health worldwide, available in 55 languages and dialects, and formats for testing illiterate patients and in other cultural settings (by changing certain references).

Trump was the first U.S. president to undergo the test as part of his presidential physical.

This is how a doctor performs the test, and how a patient is graded:

1. ALTERNATING TRAIL MAKING

TEST: The patient is told to pair up five numbers and letters (1-5, A-E) in ascending order (pairing 1 with A, 2 with B, etc) while drawing connect-the-dots lines.

RESULT: The patient gets a point for every successful pair: 1-A; 2-B; 3-C; 4-D; 5-E. No lines can be crossed. The patient earns 0 if they make a mistake that is not immediately corrected.

2. VISUOCONSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS (CUBE)

TEST: Draw your own version of the cube in the space next to it.

It must be exactly the same as the one printed on the page.

RESULT: One point if it is drawn correctly (i.e. three-dimensional, all lines are drawn, no line is added, lines are relatively parallel and their length is similar – no point if any of those criteria are missing).

3. VISUOCONSTRUCTIONAL SKILLS (CLOCK)

TEST: Draw a clock, putting in all the numbers and set the time to 10 minutes past 11 o’clock.

RESULT: One point is allocated for each of the following three criteria:

  • Contour (ONE POINT): the clock face must be a circle with only minor distortion acceptable (i.e. slight imperfection on closing the circle).
  • Numbers (ONE POINT): all clock numbers must be present with no additional numbers; numbers must be in the correct order and placed in the approximate quadrants on the clock face. Roman numerals are acceptable. Numbers can be placed outside the circle contour.
  • Hands (ONE POINT): there must be two hands jointly indicating the correct time; the hour hand must be clearly shorter than the minute hand. Hands must be centered within the clock face with their junction close to the clock center.

A point is not assigned for a given element if any of the above-criteria are not met.

4. NAMING

TEST: Name each animal.

  • Lion
  • Rhinoceros (or rhino)
  • Camel (or dromedary)

RESULT: One point for each

5. MEMORY

TEST: 

The doctor tells the patient that they are going to read a list of words that the patient must remember. At the end the patient has to tell them as many as they remember; it doesn’t matter what order.

The doctor then reads five words, one per second:

FACE, VELVET, CHURCH, DAISY, RED

As the patient recites the words, the doctor marks a check in the box for each word said aloud.

The patient indicates when they have recalled all they can. 

The doctor reads the list a second time. At the end the patient has to recall all of them again. 

As the patient recites the words, the doctor marks a check in the box for each word said aloud – including the first five again.

The patient indicates when they have recalled all they can.

At the end of the test, the doctor asks the patient to recall the five words, unprompted. This is the part of the test that is scored. 

SCORING: No plus points, only minus if they get it wrong.

6. ATTENTION

TEST (NUMBERS):

Recall numbers: The doctor reads a list of five numbers at a rate of one number per second; the patient recalls them exactly as they were said:

2 1 8 5 4

Recall numbers backwards: The doctor reads three numbers at a rate of one number per second; the patient recalls them backwards:

7 4 2

SCORING: One point per sequence correctly recited.

TEST (LETTERS): The doctor reads a list of letters at a rate of one per second. Every time they say the letter ‘A’, the patient has to tap their hand:

F B A C M N A A J K L B A F A K D E A A A J A M O F A A B

SCORING: One point if there is zero errors or just one error (i.e. the patient tapped their hand on another letter just once).

TEST (MATH): The patient starts at 100, then must count down by subtracting seven every time, until the examiner tells them to stop:

SCORING: Total of three points.

  • No points if there are no correct subtractions
  • One point for just one correct subtractions 
  • Two points for two or three correct subtractions
  • Three points for four or five correct subtractions

If the first subtraction is wrong, but each subsequent subtraction follows the pattern of seven, they still earn every other point. For example, they may say ’92 – 85 – 78 – 71 – 64′. While ’92’ is incorrect, all subsequent numbers are subtracted by seven, meaning they only made one mistake, and would a score of three.

7. SENTENCE REPETITION

TEST:

Step one: The examiner reads this sentence, and the patient has to repeat it exactly: ‘I only know that John is the one to help today’.

Step two: The examiner then reads another sentence, with the same instruction: ‘The cat always hid under the couch when dogs were in the room’.

SCORING: One point for each correct sentence.

  • Exact repetition
  • No synonyms substituted (i.e. it must be ‘hid’ not ‘hides’)

8. VERBAL FLUENCY

TEST: The doctor reads out a letter (F), and the patient has to think of words that starts with that letter. The aim is to reach 11 words or more in 60 seconds.

  • The words cannot be proper nouns, like Bob or Boston
  • The words cannot be the same sounding word but with different suffixes (like love, lover, loving)

SCORING: One point if they reach 11 words or more in one minute.

9. ABSTRACTION

TEST: The patient has to describe what the relationship is between certain words (i.e, an orange and a banana; a train and a bicycle; a ruler and a watch).

There is one practice trial (ORANGE AND BANANA) before two scored pairs (TRAIN AND BICYCLE; WATCH AND RULER).

SCORING: One point for each of the last two pairs.

Acceptable answers:

  • Train and bicycle: means of transport, means of traveling, used to take trips
  • Ruler and watch: means of measurement, measuring instruments

Unacceptable answers:

  • Train and bicycle: they have wheels
  • Ruler and watch: they have numbers

10. DELAYED RECALL

TEST: The patient has to recall all the words they heard earlier (FACE, VELVET, CHURCH, DAISY, RED).

SCORING: One point for each word recalled (with no cues from the examiner).

11. ORIENTATION

TEST: Say the exact date, and the name of the place they are in, including the city.

SCORING: One point for each correct answer. No points if they make any errors.

TOTAL SCORE:

Add up all the points accumulating, adding a point if the patient has fewer than 12 years of formal educations.

  • Around 16: cognitive health of an Alzheimer’s patient
  • Around 22: cognitive health of someone with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)
  • Above 26: Normal
  • 30: Perfect score (Trump scored 30/30).  

Read more at DailyMail.co.uk