Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina warned on “Face the Nation” on Sunday that with NATO leaders scheduled to meet in Washington next week, President Joe Biden could be viewed as “compromised” by both U.S. allies and foes.
Graham appeared on CBS to discuss reports that several Democrats are looking to replace Biden as the party's presidential nominee following Biden's poor performance in the June 27, 2024 debate. CBS News chief elections and campaign correspondent Robert Costa began the segment by asking Graham about the views of his fellow lawmakers and former President Donald Trump on the turmoil within the Democratic Party. (RELATED: Fox News host claims he can't find Democrats to appear on his show and defend Biden)
“Well, I think most of us are concerned about the impact this debate about President Biden's health has on our national security. Bernie Sanders' problem with Biden is that he's not liberal enough. 70% of Americans think President Biden is mentally and physically unable to serve as president. 70% of Americans think the country is heading in the wrong direction. Most Democrats are worried about Biden winning the election. I'm worried about Biden being commander in chief for the next four months,” Graham said.
“We have a meeting with NATO in Washington next week. On October 7th, Israel was attacked by Hamas. On October 8th, President Biden met with the special counsel and it was determined that he has a poor memory but is a good person and cannot convince a jury that he did anything wrong. I want those audio tapes made public, so I would like to see President Biden undergo cognitive testing. I believe that all those who are going forward in the line of succession…”
“Should former President Trump take it too?” Costa interjected.
“Yes, I believe that all future nominees for President should have a neurological exam as part of their comprehensive physical exam. I believe that any potential successor should also have a neurological exam. My predecessor, Senator Thurman, was a healthy man, but he was 100 years old. [president] Temporary[pore] “The commander in chief position in the Senate is a threat to the presidency. This is a wake-up call for the country. We need to make sure that whoever succeeds us is capable of being commander in chief in tough situations,” Graham continued.
“What I'm worried about is that our allies will see Joe Biden as compromised, and our adversaries will see Joe Biden as compromised. Given all of the evidence before us, I'm infuriated by the idea that Biden shouldn't be competency tested. Biden is not just in denial. It's a dangerous time for the American people to have someone who appears to be compromised leading the ship. At the very least, President Biden and President Trump should be competency tested.”
Calls for Biden to drop out of the 2024 presidential race have grown after he made a number of gaffes during debates with Trump, including pausing mid-sentence and not finishing thoughts.
Concerns about Biden's mental health had been raised by Republicans long before the June 27 debate, but Democrats defended the president, calling him “astute” and praising his mental health. But after the debate, some lawmakers are reportedly reluctant to side with Biden because a majority of Americans no longer have confidence in the president's mental health.
A CBS/YouGov poll conducted June 28-29 found that 72% of Americans believe Biden does not have the mental and cognitive health necessary to serve as president, up 7 points from the same survey conducted June 9.
