Exclusive: Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.) sent a letter to the White House on Monday asking for President Biden to undergo cognitive testing due to concerns about his “fragile mental state” and ability to perform his duties.
In a letter obtained exclusively by Fox News Digital, Carter, who is also a pharmacist, wrote to White House Chief of Staff Jeff Zients expressing “serious concerns” about Biden’s cognitive status and “ability to carry out the duties of the office of the President.”
“Given numerous examples of the President’s declining mental capacity, it is imperative that the White House be transparent about whether the President of the United States is capable of faithfully fulfilling the duties of his oath of office,” Carter wrote.
This comes after The Wall Street Journal recently reported that the 81-year-old president has shown signs of cognitive decline during closed-door meetings with members of Congress, including closing his eyes for long periods of time, speaking in an inaudible voice at times and forgetting details of his energy policy.
Biden shows signs of decline in private meetings with congressional leaders: Report
Rep. Earl “Buddy” Carter (R-Ga.), a pharmacist himself, sent a letter to the White House urging President Biden to undergo cognitive testing. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via Getty Images)
In January, Biden reportedly got the names of two Hispanic Cabinet members, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra, wrong. That same month, during a meeting with congressional leaders, the president moved slowly around the room and opened the meeting by reading a note outlining the need for more aid for the country, even though lawmakers in the meeting already supported more funding for the country.
Biden also claimed to have met with German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, who died in 2017, and former French President François Mitterrand, who died in 1996, at the 2021 G7 summit in February.
The president also appeared to stumble multiple times as he attempted to board Air Force One.
“As a pharmacist consultant for decades I have treated nursing home patients and recognized the signs of cognitive decline,” Carter wrote in the letter. “The patients I have treated have experienced a gradual decline in intelligence and increased forgetfulness, including repeatedly forgetting names and confusing past experiences with current events. This is the same behavior the American people and members of Congress have witnessed from the President of the United States.”
Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House for comment on Carter’s letter.
The White House has previously dismissed criticism of Biden’s intellectual ability as politically motivated.
“Congressional Republicans, foreign leaders and bipartisan national security experts have made clear in their own words that President Biden is a wise and capable leader with a strong legislative track record,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told The Wall Street Journal earlier this month. “Now, in 2024, House Republicans are using this false claim as a political tactic that completely contradicts what they and their colleagues have said in the past.”
Biden’s French President gaffe is just the latest example of his confusion about people long dead
The White House has previously dismissed criticism of Biden’s intellectual ability as politically motivated. (Michael Reynolds/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Carter wrote that as president, Biden must have strong cognitive abilities as he carries out the domestic and international duties he was elected to perform, and noted that Americans are concerned about Biden’s mental health.
“The Presidency of the United States is an office that requires a man of great mental strength to defend the interests of the American people,” Carter wrote. “Through recent crises at home and abroad, Americans have rightly concerned that the President’s unstable mental health is creating a leadership vacuum in a position that demands the utmost of ability.”
Social media abuzz as Biden stumbles onto Air Force One again: ‘Show of strength’
This year, ahead of the November presidential election between Biden and former President Trump, several Republican lawmakers have stepped up pressure over the president’s age and mental health.
Trump, 78, has also shown signs of fading memory, factual inaccuracies and public speaking gaffes, drawing criticism from Democrats about his intellectual acuity.
According to the Associated Press, at a Turning Point Action event in Detroit earlier this month, Trump misnamed Republican Texas Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as the White House physician and medical adviser, calling him “Ronnie Johnson,” and asked Biden to take the same cognitive test on which he had received a “perfect score.”
Recent reports have suggested that President Biden has shown signs of cognitive decline during private meetings with members of Congress. (Hannah Beyer/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Citing this year’s State of the Union address, in which Biden appeared more intelligent than his other public remarks, Jackson said Sunday on Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” that he has sent multiple letters to the White House asking Biden to undergo cognitive ability testing and that he intends to request drug testing for the president before and after the upcoming debate with Trump.
Click here to get the FOX News app
“The American people have a right to know that the President is able to carry out the duties of his role as Head of State and Commander in Chief, and they have a right to full transparency regarding the mental capacity of their elected leader,” Carter wrote in the letter.
“That is why I urge the President to immediately undergo cognitive testing,” the letter continued, “and urge that the results of that testing be made public so that the American people are fully informed of the President’s mental and intellectual health. The American people should no longer be left in fear for their safety and security due to the President’s deteriorating mental condition.”
