Ronny Jackson's Demand of Joe Biden Raises Eyebrows

Representative Ronny Jackson's call to drug test President Joe Biden before the first presidential debate of this year's election cycle has sparked criticism and ridicule on social media, with many pointing to the congressman's own alleged conduct history.

Jackson, a Republican who currently represents Texas' 13th Congressional District, is a physician with a career in serving presidents. In 2019, he was the first chief medical adviser to President Donald Trump, previously having worked as the physician to the president from 2013 to 2018 under both Presidents Barack Obama and Trump. He also served as director of the White House Medical Unit (WHMU) from 2010 to 2014.

On Fox News' Sunday Morning Futures with Maria Bartiromo, Jackson said he is going to send another letter to the White House requesting that Biden "submit to a cognitive test" and "submit to a drug test before and after this debate, specifically looking for performance enhancing drugs."

During his interview appearance, Jackson cited Biden's March performance during his State of the Union (SOTU) address, saying, there is "surely no way to explain that other than he was on something." Commentators remarked that the president seemed more alert and raised his voice repeatedly compared to his daily appearances and tone. There is no evidence, however, that the president used drugs.

In May, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates told Politico in response to the growing allegations about Biden's reported drug use, "It's telling that Republican officials are unable to stop announcing how intimidated they remain by [the] President's State of the Union performance."

Jackson claimed that one reason Biden might be at Camp David all week prepping for the debate is to allow his medical team to experiment with "getting the doses just right." He stated, "They didn't get it right last time," referring to the SOTU.

Biden arrived at Camp David Thursday night and is expected to spend the week preparing for the debate against Trump, which is slated for June 27. The second scheduled debate is for September.

Jackson posted the video of his interview appearance on Sunday on X, formerly Twitter, and wrote: "DRUG TEST BIDEN BEFORE THE DEBATE! Will we see Sleepy Joe, who lives in the White House Basement, or will we see Jacked-Up Joe who made an appearance at the State Of The Union??? The American people deserve to know if their 'President' is taking Performance Enhancing Drugs! TEST BIDEN NOW!!"

Newsweek has reached out to the Biden campaign via email on Sunday for comment.

Meanwhile, Trump confused Jackson's name last Saturday and said, "I took a cognitive test, and I aced it. Doc Ronny—Doc Ronny Johnson," Trump's comment came moments after he urged Biden to take a cognitive test.

Biden Campaign national co-chair Mitch Landrieu recalled the moment on CNN on Thursday, saying that Trump "was trying to question our president's mental acuity and he could not remember that the name of his own doctor, so tell [former] President Trump bring whatever he's got, President Biden will be standing there ready for him."

Age, meanwhile, has been a topic of conversation this election cycle, with Trump having just celebrated his 78th birthday and Biden being 81.

Following his Sunday interview, many social media users criticized Jackson's demand, with some making mocking remarks in reference to a conduct-related probe into Jackson and investigation of WHMU.

Acyn, senior digital editor for MeidasTouch, a liberal news site, posted a video segment of Jackson' Fox News appearance, and wrote, "The stuff in here is oddly specific and lines up with accusations about the previous White House essentially being a pill mill."

His comments presumably reference the 2024 report by the Inspector General of the Department of Defense (DOD) which criticized how the WHMU handled prescriptions under the Trump administration.

The multi-year investigation found that the WHMU's pharmaceutical management occurred without oversight, leading to prescribing errors and the dispensing of medicines to ineligible White House staff. Social media users criticized Jackson, some insinuating he should lose his medical license, which, a spokesperson for Jackson previously told Newsweek in a statement that Jackson was not the director of the WHMU during most of the period covered by the investigation, having ended his role as its director in 2014.

Attorney Jeffrey Evan Gold wrote on X on Sunday, "Wait...The same Dr. Ronny who was drunk on the job wildly prescribing drugs inappropriately to White House staff? That Doc Ronny?"

Gold's comments come in reference to a 2021 Pentagon report that found Jackson made "sexual and denigrating statements about one of his female medical subordinates" and noted instances in which he "engaged in alcohol-related misconduct, including wrecking a government vehicle while intoxicated."

Jackson publicly denied the allegations laid out in the Pentagon report in 2021. He described the report as "a political hit job" that "left out key facts," in a video posted to social media at the time.

"And I flat-out reject any allegation that I consumed alcohol while on duty. That absolutely did not happen. I also categorically deny the false report that I made an inappropriate comment to a male co-worker about a female co-worker," Jackson said.

Sarah Reese Jones, a White House and political analyst at PoliticusUSA, wrote in an X post: "Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-TX), who an IG report found was drunk and on drugs while serving as White House physician, claims that Biden is on PEDs [performance-enhancing drugs] and wants Biden to 'Submit to a drug test before and after this debate specifically looking for performance-enhancing drugs.'"

X user Russell Drew also wrote on Sunday, "Always keep an eye on Congressman Ronny Jackson. If he's not handing out prescription pills like Pez candy, he's slyly taking a swig from his flask. The man is well known as a drunkard who can't be trusted around female coworkers. Unfit for office."

Newsweek has reached out to Jackson's chief of staff for comment via email on Sunday.