Former Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel, 94, has expressed concerns about President Biden's fitness for office after a recent presidential debate. Rangel said he was "shocked and embarrassed" by Biden's performance and suggested he and former President Trump undergo cognitive tests.
Former Harlem Congressman Charles Rangel, a Democrat who served in Congress from 1971 to 2017, has expressed concerns about President Biden's fitness for office after a recent presidential debate.
Rangel, now 94 years old, said he was "shocked and embarrassed" by Biden's performance in the debate, saying he "seemed so damned confused I didn’t even know whether he knew where the hell he was at in terms of responding to the moderator."
Former Harlem Congressman Calls for Cognitive Tests for Biden and Trump After Debate Disaster
Rangel told host John Catsimatidis on 770 WABC radio’s “The Cats Roundtable” that he "would not object" to both candidates taking cognitive tests to determine their fitness. Trump is 78, just three years younger than Biden.
Rangel's comments come amid growing concerns about the mental acuity of both Biden and Trump, who are both in their 80s. Some critics have argued that Biden's age and declining physical health make him unfit for office, while others have questioned Trump's mental stability.
Former Harlem Congressman Calls for Cognitive Tests for Biden and Trump After Debate Disaster
Biden's debate performance was widely criticized by pundits and political observers, who pointed to his frequent stumbles, gaffes, and apparent confusion. Trump, on the other hand, was seen as more energetic and coherent, although he also made a number of false and misleading statements.
Rangel said that Biden's debate performance was so troubling that voters have to be reminded that Trump could be sentenced to prison time for his conviction in the Stormy Daniels hush money case.
Former Harlem Congressman Calls for Cognitive Tests for Biden and Trump After Debate Disaster
"It’s clear that Biden was shaky in responding … One has to think about what happens in [the next] four years," Rangel said.
Despite his concerns about Biden's mental fitness, Rangel said he was not ready to abandon him, noting that he was good on the stump the day after the debate.
Former Harlem Congressman Calls for Cognitive Tests for Biden and Trump After Debate Disaster
"He was so on point, so articulate. He was better than he was at the State of the Union [address]. And I wondered, ‘Where the hell was that Joe Biden [during the debate]?'" he said.
Biden intends to seek re-election despite calls from the liberal New York Times, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, and even some Democrats that it's time for him to step aside for the good of the party and the country.
Former Harlem Congressman Calls for Cognitive Tests for Biden and Trump After Debate Disaster
During the debate, Biden frequently stumbled over his answers and at one point froze and then said "I beat Medicare."
Rangel, during the latter part of his 46 years in Congress, struggled with his physical health but appeared mentally sharp.
