“I’m gonna be demanding on behalf of many millions of concerned Americans right now that he submit to a drug test before and after this debate, specifically looking for performance-enhancing drugs,” Jackson told Fox News.
Texas GOP Rep. Ronny Jackson, a former White House physician, on Sunday suggested that President Joe Biden should submit to drug tests immediately before and after Thursday’s presidential debate. Donald Trump made similar comments during a rally in Philadelphia about Biden using performance enhancing drugs.
Trump conjectured with odd specificity how it might happen. “So a little before debate time he gets a shot in the ass and that’s — they want to strengthen him up. So he comes out, he’ll come out — OK. I say he’ll come out all jacked up, right?” Trump told supporters at the rally.
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Jackson, a close ally of Trump, faced his share of scrutiny over his behavior in the White House. He joined the White House medical team during George W. Bush’s administration and served as the White House physician under Barack Obama and Trump.
In 2018, Jackson withdrew his nomination to be the head of the Department of Veterans Affairs after allegations surfaced that he was sometimes drunk on duty and that he was known as the “candy man” among staff for handing out prescription drugs without paperwork. A separate 2021 report from a Pentagon inspector general alleged misconduct from Jackson, including abusive behavior and sexual harassment of subordinates. Jackson has denied those allegations.
Jackson has come under scrutiny before because of his own use of alcohol and drugs on duty:
He also famously did a press briefing during Donald Trumps’ term when he served as Trump’s physician stating Trump was the picture of health, not overweight, cognitively clear, not addicted to drugs and, so healthy he would live until 200 because of his fine genetics.