Should cognitive testing be a presidential prerequisite? – By Rafi Schwartz (The Week) / Sept 20, 2023
A growing chorus of pundits and candidates are pushing mental fitness challenges as a campaign necessity
It’s little secret that former President Donald Trump is particularly proud of — in his own words — his “very, very large brain.” Trump’s aura of mental satisfaction is particularly noticeable when he is on the campaign trail — most recently at the Pray Vote Stand summit in Washington DC, where he derided President Biden as “cognitively impaired” before accusing the White House of risking “World War II.”
Asked this past weekend by Meet The Press moderator Kristen Welker whether there should be an age limit on the presidency, Trump, 77, demurred, saying that while neither he nor Biden were themselves too old to hold office, “there should be a competency. I’m all for the test.” But, he acknowledged, “a lot of people say that can’t happen because of Constitution.”
Trump’s renewed embrace of cognitive testing comes as several of his Republican presidential nomination challengers level their own attacks on both the current and former president for their advanced age and — whether implied or explicitly stated — the mental decline that often follows.
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