By Naveen Athrappully | Epoch Times
Former President Donald Trump said he wants President Joe Biden to take a drug test ahead of the first presidential debate next month.
Back in March, President Trump challenged President Biden to a debate on key issues facing the country “anytime, anywhere, any place.” They recently agreed to two debates—the first on June 27 hosted by CNN and the second on Sept. 10 hosted by ABC News. During a speech at the Minnesota GOP Lincoln-Reagan Dinner in St Paul on Friday, President Trump said he intends to demand that President Biden take a drug test. “I really am. I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union,” he said, alleging President Biden was “high as a kite” at his speech at the event in March.
If Biden “makes it through the debate—and I think he will—they‘ll say ’it was the finest debate performance in history,’” the GOP candidate said.
On May 15, President Biden put up an offer of a debate in a video on X. The Democrat candidate claimed he won two debates against President Trump in 2020 and that “since then, he hasn’t shown up” for another debate. “Now he’s acting like he wants to debate me again.”
In a Truth Social post, President Trump said his challenger was the “WORST debater I have ever faced—He can’t put two sentences together!”
“It’s time for a debate so that he can explain to the American People his highly destructive Open Border Policy, new and ridiculous EV Mandates, the allowance of Crushing Inflation, High Taxes, and his really WEAK Foreign Policy,” the former president wrote.
In a written summary of President Biden’s physical in February, physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said the Democrat was a “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.” However, the doctor did not screen the president for cognitive health.
During a recent meeting with supporters in Atlanta, Georgia, President Biden said the upcoming presidential election has “lots at stake.”
“It’s not about me. It’s about the alternative as well. You know … my opponent is not a good loser,” he said.
President Trump has accepted two more proposed debates, one with Fox News and another with NBC & Telemundo. However, the Biden campaign has refused the challenges.
The Trump campaign has also accepted a Fox News invitation to host a vice presidential debate. The Biden campaign has yet to respond on the matter.
Meanwhile, independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. criticized the debates scheduled between the Republican and Democrat candidates.
“Presidents Trump and Biden are colluding to lock America into a head-to-head match-up that 70 percent say they do not want. They are trying to exclude me from their debate because they are afraid I would win. Keeping viable candidates off the debate stage undermines democracy,” he said in a May 15 X post.
“Forty-three percent of Americans identify as independents. If Americans are ever going to escape the hammerlock of the two-party system, now is the time to do it. These are the two most unpopular candidates in living memory.”
Presidential Election Polls
Polls show President Trump with an advantage over President Biden among voters. According to a May 14 update from Morning Consult, President Trump had the backing of 44 percent of voters, giving him a one-point lead over President Biden. The GOP candidate had a larger four-point lead against his opponent among Independents.
“The race remains closer than before Super Tuesday when Trump consistently led. Trump performs slightly better with Republicans and his own 2020 backers than Biden does with Democrats and his 2020 supporters.”
President Trump’s “net buzz” was found to have worsened from -19 points in March to -32 points. In contrast, President Biden’s net buzz was at -6 points.
An average of polls by RealClear Polling found that President Trump led in all seven battleground states—Wisconsin, Arizona, Georgia, Michigan, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, and Nevada.
Meanwhile, an April 12 Pew Research poll showed that only 22 percent of American adults polled in December had a favorable opinion of the Biden administration’s third year in power, which is 10 percent below August 2019 when the Trump administration was in its third year.
President Biden continued to have a high approval rating of 83 percent among Democrats. However, his rating from independents was weaker at 33 percent.
Not all surveys show President Biden at a disadvantage. A recent poll from TIPP Insights showed President Biden garnering the support of 42 percent of registered voters, a two-point lead over President Trump’s 40 percent backing.
Even while adding third-party candidates into the mix, President Biden continues to have an advantage, although the lead narrows to one-point. Mr. Kennedy was found taking away voters from both President Biden and President Trump.
“Biden’s strength is based on solid 86 percent support from his base Democratic Party backers, while Trump sees identical support from among Republicans. But Democrats generally see slightly higher turnout than Republicans, so Biden gets the edge,” TIPP stated.
Naveen Athrappully is a news reporter covering business and world events at The Epoch Times.