Donald Trump, snuffling and sounding even less coherent than usual, keeps demanding that Joe Biden take a drug test before their first debate on Thursday night. He has claimed Biden was "high as a kite" during his State of the Union address in February and seemed to suggest that Biden might have been using cocaine found at the White House “last month.” (In the real world, a small packet of coke was found in a visitor’s locker nearly a year ago.)
Trump has constantly tried to manage expectations for the debate, but keeps shifting his approach. He started out by praising Biden’s debating skills, describing the president as a “worthy” opponent. Two days before Thursday’s debate, he returned to form, demanding that Biden be tested (for unspecified drugs and unspecified reasons). His minions in Congress, including Rep. Ronny Jackson of Texas, the former White House doctor whose name Trump cannot remember, jumped on board. You might remember that Jackson — a former Navy admiral who was demoted and reprimanded for his erratic conduct as presidential physician — said back in 2018 that Trump’s physical and mental health were excellent and that he had “incredible genes.” Somehow, he then got elected to Congress.
