Dr. Phil Calls On Biden To Undergo Cognitive Assessment
After spending decades mediating mostly domestic disputes on his hit eponymous daytime television program, Dr. Phil McGraw has shifted his focus toward politics in anticipation of launching an all-new network in partnership with religious broadcaster Trinity Broadcasting.
While making the rounds on various programs in recent days, McGraw has opined on hot-button issues including the nation’s border crisis and President Joe Biden’s cognitive health.
He appeared on HBO’s “Real Time with Bill Maher” and sided with many of Biden’s critics who insist the 81-year-old president owes it to the American people to complete a cognitive assessment test.
“People that have nothing to hide, hide nothing,” McGraw said in response to a question on the topic. “So, why not?”
In a separate interview, he offered even more justification for his stance.
“One of my specialties, back when I was in practice, was brain and central nervous system and cognitive ability, cognitive agility,” he said. “And these things can be defined objectively, such as memory, of course, and what’s called working memory — the ability to comprehend, put sentences together, express yourself. All of these things are very measurable.”
McGraw went on to reiterate his remarks to Bill Maher, asserting: “And if you really had nothing to hide, I think you would hide nothing. And if you had no problem with neurological deficits, wouldn’t you want to crow about that? Wouldn’t you want to have a transparent neurocognitive examination and show the world that was the case? That kills the issue in this election.”
Biden’s mental acuity has been a major issue throughout his presidency, given his status as the oldest person to ever serve in the office as well as a litany of examples that seemed to demonstrate his confusion.
The results of Biden’s most recent physical examination did not include any evidence of a cognitive assessment — and the “glaring omission” was even cited by ABC chief medical correspondent Dr. Jennifer Ashton.
“We do what’s called a review of systems any time we do a physical exam on someone,” she said during an appearance on “The View.” “That includes not only just general neurologic evaluation, but a mental evaluation, a screening for depression or psychiatric illness, mental illness, anxiety — not in there. Cognitive exam, not in there.”
