United States – President’s mental fitness has been addressed by the U.S. Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen during a House Financial Services Committee meeting. She certified that the president was effective in different forums, including with other heads of state. Yellen has commented in an interview that ‘The president is extremely effective in the meetings that I’ve been in with him’ noting that they include multi-hour international meetings with counterparts such as Chinese President Xi Jinping, as reported by Reuters.
Yellen did not directly respond to questions about the last time she met Biden in person. She also mentioned she never discussed with cabinet secretaries regarding the 25th amendment of the constitution that enables the vice president and cabinet to determine the president incapable to perform the duties of his office and hence transfers power to the vice president.
Questioning Cognitive Decline
Republican Representative Mike Lawler from New York questioned Yellen about observing any signs of cognitive or mental decline in Biden, particularly after his debate with Trump on June 27, where Biden appeared weak and occasionally fumbled his words.
Democratic and Republican Responses
Democratic Congresswoman Joyce Beatty of Ohio tried to strike Yellen’s testimony due to her claiming she was not a doctor. Nonetheless, Republican Blaine Luetkemeyer, who was chairing the hearing, additional discussion on the issue.
Biden’s Campaign Challenges
There are some critics who accuse Biden of mental incompetence making his bid for the nomination to challenge Trump in the November 5 presidential election spirited. Nonetheless, Biden continues his fight in the campaign; he described the debate as “a bad episode.”
White House Clarifications
The White House clarified on Monday that Biden is not receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease and has not visited a neurologist apart from routine physicals. This statement came after reports that a Parkinson’s specialist had visited the White House eight times between August and March, as reported by Reuters.