Former President Donald Trump says Vice President Kamala Harris should take a cognitive test, calling her “slow and lethargic” in how she answers media questions.
His challenge to Ms. Harris, 59, mirrors his critique of President Biden, who is 81 and dropped out of the presidential race because of questions about his mental acuity and stamina.
“I believe it is very important that Kamala Harris pass a test on Cognitive Stamina and Agility,” Mr. Trump posted Monday on Truth Social. “Her actions have led many to believe that there could be something very wrong with her.”
Mr. Trump did not specify who believes that about Ms. Harris. Still, his decision to lean into cognitive ability is familiar terrain.
Throughout his political career, Mr. Trump has boasted about his mental abilities compared to his rivals, dubbing himself a “very stable genius” during his presidency and bragging he got a perfect score on the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.
Mr. Trump famously boasted how he could remember five words in order — “Person. Woman. Man. Camera. TV” — when asked to recall them later on, without warning.
Mr. Trump and Ms. Harris are locked in a tight race roughly three weeks until Election Day, and early voting has started in some places.
The race could be decided by tens of thousands of votes in swing states, so both candidates are seeking an edge.
Ms. Harris is attacking Mr. Trump as unfit for office and a wannabe tyrant, pointing to his recent comments about possibly deploying the National Guard against “radical left lunatics” or the “enemy within,” if there is turmoil on Election Day.
Mr. Trump, meanwhile, is focusing on Ms. Harris’ mental fitness. He pointed to an unusual editing situation in which Ms. Harris seems to provide two different answers to the same question on CBS’ “60 Minutes” and “Face the Nation.” He says the network had to clean up Ms. Harris’ initial rambling answer.
“She is slow and lethargic in answering even the easiest of questions,” Mr. Trump posted. “We just went through almost four years of that, we shouldn’t have to do it again!”
• Tom Howell Jr. can be reached at thowell@washingtontimes.com.
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