Former White House physician Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson said Monday that President Joe Biden is “no longer able to do this job,” leaving the 81-year-old thinking he was already serving a second term.
Jackson, the physician to Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump and a member of the White House Medical Unit under George W. Bush, appeared on Fox & Friends Monday morning as Biden celebrated his 81st birthday.
The doctor-turned-congressman and Trump political ally recalled to Fox’s Steve Doocy that he didn’t think Biden had “the cognitive ability to get the job done” when he ran against Trump in 2020.
“I went back and watched a video of him – when he was running for president last time – and compared it to the video today, and he has degenerated quite a bit over the last three years,” Jackson said. “It’s just incredible to see the difference.”
Biden has suffered a series of downfalls and blunders since taking over from Trump in January 2021, but announced in April that he planned to press ahead with a re-election bid.
Former White House physician Republican Rep. Ronny Jackson (pictured) said Monday that President Joe Biden is “no longer capable of doing this job,” leaving the 81-year-old thinking he was already serving a second term.
Rep. Ronny Jackson (right) spoke with Fox & Friends host Steve Doocy (left) Monday morning as President Joe Biden turned 81, joking to the host “they should just tell him it’s the end of his second term now”
At the same time, Trump, 77, has made some of his own mistakes in recent months, including confusing President George W. Bush with his brother Jeb and misidentifying the Iowa city in which he campaigned.
But Jackson – who backed Trump’s 2024 bid days after announcing last year – argued it was Biden who was missing a step.
“And I think Democrats are now starting to get to the point where they can’t deny it anymore. I mean, the mainstream media has been talking about it for the last six months. But we can’t do that — we can’t put up with this anymore,” the Texas congressman said of Biden’s term in office.
“He has people around him who inappropriately encourage him to keep running because it builds up, you know, who they are and what they do,” Jackson continued.
“But you know, our border, our wars abroad, our economy, it’s a disaster right now and he just can’t do his job. And every day it becomes clear that he is no longer able to do this job,” the former White House physician added.
Doocy wondered whether Biden’s family should encourage him not to run for a second term.
“Shouldn’t his family say, Joe, maybe it’s time to go?” the Fox & Friends host said.
On Monday, President Joe Biden – the country’s oldest president – turned 81 years old. He is expected to hold an official birthday celebration in Nantucket on Wednesday, surrounded by six of his seven grandchildren.
Biden leaves Washington later Tuesday for Nantucket, where he will celebrate his birthday on Wednesday surrounded by six of his seven grandchildren before celebrating Thanksgiving on Thursday.
Last year, during the trip to Nantucket, and during his New Year’s trip to St. Croix, Biden was expected to discuss with his family whether he would run for a second term.
The president rolled out the Biden-Harris 2024 campaign via video in mid-April but eschewed traditional campaign rallies for White House events and closed-door fundraisers.
“I mean, they’re going to try the strategy of keeping him in the basement again,” Jackson said.
Biden streamed a number of campaign events live from his home in Wilmington, Delaware in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic.
“But you’re right Steve, it’s now up to the people around him to tell him that this is – that he’s had a good run, to let it go and convince him that he’s had a good run.” , Jackson said.
“I heard someone say the other day that maybe they should just tell him that this is now the end of his second term. And let him think he’s done two terms and move on,” the former White House physician suggested.