WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump insinuated again Monday that he believes Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden needs performance-enhancing drugs to deliver a good debate performance.
On Sunday morning, Trump tweeted that he “will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night.”
“His Debate performances have been record setting UNEVEN, to put it mildly. Only drugs could have caused this discrepancy???” the president wrote, adding that he would take a test himself.
Biden isn’t playing along. When asked at a press event Sunday about Trump’s demand, the former vice president laughed off the suggestion.
“He’s almost … no, I have no comment,” Biden said.
But later in the day, his campaign issued a potty humor-filled statement mocking Trump’s request.
“Vice President Biden intends to deliver his debate answers in words. If the president thinks his best case is made in urine he can have at it,” said Kate Bedingfield, Biden’s deputy campaign manager. “We’d expect nothing less from Donald Trump, who pissed away the chance to protect the lives of 200K Americans when he didn't make a plan to stop COVID-19.”
On Monday, Trump tweeted: “Joe Biden just announced that he will not agree to a Drug Test. Gee, I wonder why?”
Trump, 74, has repeatedly tried to raise questions about the 77-year-old Biden’s mental fitness to be president. In June, Trump said he wanted to challenge Biden in a cognitive test, which the Democrat also declined.
The president told the Washington Examiner last month he suspected Biden was using some sort of drug to make him more alert during the final debate of the Democratic primaries.
Trump and Biden will square off Tuesday in Cleveland in the first of three debates.