House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) said Tuesday that no one expects President Biden to be “high on cocaine” during the debate later this week, despite President Trump and his allies suggesting otherwise. .
Johnson joined CNN’s Kaitlan Collins to discuss how, at a recent rally, Trump told his supporters that Biden “is going to be very excited” and alluded to the bag of cocaine found in the White House last year.
Collins asked Johnson what he thought of the former president’s accusation.
“Look, there are a lot of things that are said in jest,” Johnson said in the interview, highlighted by Mediaite. “Of course, no one expects Joe Biden to use cocaine.”
Biden’s age and mental acuity have been a concern for many Republicans, especially in the wake of a special counsel report earlier this year that painted the incumbent as an “elderly man with a poor memory.” Johnson added that “it makes sense” that people would ask questions about his ability to lead.
The Louisiana Republican said the 81-year-old president’s energy levels and behavior are concerning and said Biden is more likely to have “energy drinks or something” for the debate.
The House speaker referenced Biden’s fiery State of the Union address in March. Trump, conservative lawmakers and experts have suggested that Biden took performance-enhancing drugs before the speech because of her energy on stage.
Johnson noted that he thinks the public can expect Biden to arrive on the debate stage in the same way he addressed Congress earlier this year.
“The thing is, can he stand on that stage for 90 minutes and face President Trump, who, you know, goes to rallies and talks for two hours without notes,” he said. “So it will be a very interesting thing to see.”
The former president continued to urge Biden to take a drug test before the debate, noting on Monday that he would take one as well. Trump provided no factual evidence to support his claims that the president would use performance-enhancing drugs.
The first presidential debate will take place Thursday at 9pm EDT on CNN and will be hosted by moderators Jake Tapper and Dana Bash.
Both Biden and Trump are preparing for their first confrontation since the chaotic first debate in the 2020 election race. Each has agreed to a set of rules, including microphone muting.
This story originally appeared on thehill.com read the full story
