House Speaker Mike Johnson on Wednesday said former President Donald Trump would have no problem going toe-to-toe with President Biden in this week’s debate, even if Mr. Biden was hopped up on stimulants.
Republicans have questioned Mr. Biden’s cognitive ability ahead of the debate, with some calling for the president to be drug tested before Thursday’s showdown on CNN. His most recent public appearances have been dotted with episodes of freezing up, wandering away or his sentences trailing off.
Mr. Johnson, Louisiana Republican, said everybody wants to know “which Joe Biden is going to show up.”
“My summary is this: It doesn’t matter if he drinks a whole gallon of energy drinks, he’s not going to be able to match the acumen and the readiness of Donald Trump,” Mr. Johnson said. “Even if it’s a three-on-one situation, I mean, obviously the CNN moderators have shown an open disdain for President Trump. Everybody’s seen that.”
After Mr. Biden’s frenetic State of the Union address earlier this year, Republicans accused the president of being on a potent drug cocktail. They expect that he will be on a similar mixture of substances to appear more energetic and alert during his debate against Mr. Trump.
Rep. Ronny Jackson, who served as the presidential doctor from 2013 to 2018, requested in a letter to Mr. Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, that the president be drug tested ahead of the debate.
The Texas Republican argued that ensuring Mr. Biden was not under the influence of performance-enhancing substances was important for voters to judge his true abilities. Mr. Trump previously agreed to take a drug test ahead of the debate.
The candidates have handled their preparation for the debate differently. Mr. Biden holed up at Camp David with advisers and debate preppers to study up for the contest, while Mr. Trump has been on the campaign trail.
Mr. Johnson said that he spent time with the former president last week at Mar-a-Lago, and spoke with him over the weekend about the debate. He said he looked forward to Mr. Trump “laying out his vision for the country” on Thursday.
“He’s in a very good place and I expect that you’re going to see a sharp contrast between President Trump’s positive agenda and Joe Biden’s proven weakness,” Mr. Johnson said.
• Alex Miller can be reached at amiller@washingtontimes.com.
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