For weeks, Donald Trump has fueled wild speculation that President Joe Biden may be using drugs during their 90-minute presidential debate on Thursday.
“DRUG TEST FOR CROOKY JOE BIDEN??? I WOULD ALSO IMMEDIATELY AGREE!!!’ Trump wrote on social media this week.
Following those demands, Ronny Jackson, a Republican congressman, Trump supporter and President Barack Obama’s White House physician, sent a letter to the current White House physician on Monday calling for Biden to be tested before the showdown.
The Biden campaign responded on Wednesday, dismissing Team Trump’s demands as “stupid.” And Biden campaign spokesperson Adrienne Elrod pointed out that the former president had made nearly the same accusations against Hillary Clinton before their 2016 debates as he did against Biden before they first clashed in 2020.
There was no evidence then or now that teetotal Biden or Clinton ever used or even considered “performance-enhancing” drugs during debates.
President Joe Biden, 81, continues to show signs of physical and mental decline, but there is no evidence he uses performance-enhancing drugs to get through the day.
However, the wild speculation has raised questions among voters and in the media: is there even a debate about making juice drugs?
Brett O’Donnell, a veteran Republican consultant who has spent decades grooming top Republican candidates, said he’s never come across a “magic bullet” that can turn a candidate into a debate dynamo.
O’Donnell, who has coached President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain, recalled that some candidates used vitamin B12 injections in hopes of sharpening their focus and increasing energy levels.
And as director of Debate at Liberty University for nearly two decades, O’Donnell said some of his students swore by bee pollen — a natural mixture of flower pollen, bee secretions, honey, wax and enzymes.
Neither supplement makes much difference, according to O’Donnell.
He suggests that Biden and Trump are leaning on Red Bull and energy drinks for proven results.
Last week, podcaster Joe Rogan suggested that the president’s team “stuff” him with “cognitive enhancers” like Adderall, testosterone and human growth hormone.
‘DRUG TEST FOR COOKED JOE BIDEN??? I WOULD ALSO INSTANTLY AGREE!!!’ Trump wrote on social media this week
Bob Reilly, crew chief, and cameraman Chris Hanson, both from CSpan, prepare for the upcoming presidential debate on CNN
US President Joe Biden waves as he walks aboard Marine One. The president has spent a week preparing for the first presidential debate of 2024
But Dr. Carole Lieberman, a physician and psychiatrist who has raised questions about Biden’s mental health in the past, told DailyMail.com that some of Rogen’s prescriptions seem far-fetched.
“Pharmaceutical stimulants like Adderall,” Lieberman said, risk increasing heart rate and blood pressure to dangerous levels.
Testosterone can cause blood clots and wild mood swings, especially when someone is under pressure.
All this would undoubtedly be unacceptable risks for a commander-in-chief.
Rogan also suggested that Biden “gave NAD infusions and IV vitamin infusions several days in a row” leading up to the confrontation.
NAD (Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide) is a coenzyme that can be prescribed to boost metabolism in older individuals. Intravenous infusions can quickly address vitamin deficiencies.
This combination of photos taken in Columbia, SC shows former President Donald Trump, left, on February 24, 2024, and President Joe Biden on January 27, 2024. The clash between Biden and Trump on Thursday, June 27, could be the most consequential presidential debate in decades.
An aerial view shows signage for a CNN presidential debate outside its studios at Turner Entertainment Networks
Dr. Lieberman said both treatments can gradually improve focus and concentration, but there are possible side effects, such as brain fog.
The drug modafinil is a non-amphetamine stimulant that is often prescribed to treat extreme sleepiness caused by narcolepsy or other sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, which Biden suffers from.
In March, the president’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, revealed that Biden had begun using a continuous positive airway pressure machine to treat the condition.
Dr. However, Lieberman said she doubted the president’s doctor would prescribe him such a powerful drug.
Treating moderate sleep apnea with modafinil would be like “using a hammer to kill a fly,” she said, and the drug’s troubling side effects, including headaches, nausea, nervousness and dizziness, would certainly outweigh the possible advantages.
Dr. Elizabeth Landsverk, the author of the book “Living in the Moment — A Guide To Overcoming Challenges and Finding Moments of Joy in Alzheimer’s Disease and Other Dementias,” warned that artificial drugs like Adderall would be too risky for Biden or Trump.
“Rather than increasing their debating skills, taking these types of stimulants will decrease their performance, making them appear ‘fed up’, irritable, confused and unable to filter out the inappropriate,” she said.
She also expressed concern that Biden’s advanced age would make it dangerous for him to use pharmaceutical stimulants, warning of a heart attack or stroke.
“Stimulants, other than a cup of coffee, would not enhance a debate performance but actually diminish it,” she said. ‘Instead, I would recommend getting a good night’s sleep the night before and taking a brisk walk just beforehand to get the circulation going.’
The medical experts contacted by DailyMail.com concluded that there is really only one way an 81-year-old man – or anyone else – can physically prepare for a public debate.
Get enough sleep, a healthy diet and a strong cup of coffee.