Representative Ronny Jackson’s call to drug test President Joe Biden before the first presidential debate of this year’s election cycle has sparked widespread criticism and ridicule on social media, with many pointing to Jackson’s own alleged conduct history.
Jackson, a Republican from Texas’ 13th Congressional District, is a physician with a history of serving presidents. He was the first chief medical adviser to President Donald Trump in 2019 and served as the physician to the president from 2013 to 2018 under both Presidents Barack Obama and Trump. He also directed the White House Medical Unit (WHMU) from 2010 to 2014. as reported by Newsweek.
On Fox News’ “Sunday Morning Futures” with Maria Bartiromo, Jackson announced plans 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.”
Jackson cited Biden’s performance during his March State of the Union (SOTU) address, suggesting there was “surely no way to explain that other than he was on something.” Commentators noted Biden’s more alert demeanor and raised voice compared to his usual appearances, though there is no evidence of drug use.
In May, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates responded to allegations about Biden’s reported drug use, stating, “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 speculated that Biden might be at Camp David to allow his medical team to experiment with “getting the doses just right” for the debate. Biden arrived at Camp David Thursday night to prepare for the June 27 debate against Trump, with a second debate scheduled for September.
Jackson posted a video of his interview on X, formerly Twitter, writing: “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 Drugs! TEST BIDEN NOW!!”
During a rally, Trump mistakenly referred to Jackson as “Doc Ronny Johnson” while urging Biden to take a cognitive test. Biden Campaign national co-chair Mitch Landrieu recalled the moment on CNN, highlighting Trump’s memory lapse while questioning Biden’s mental acuity.
Age has been a prominent topic this election cycle, with Trump recently celebrating his 78th birthday and Biden being 81.
Following Jackson’s interview, social media users criticized his demand, with some referencing a conduct-related probe into Jackson and an investigation of WHMU. Acyn, senior digital editor for MeidasTouch, posted a video of Jackson’s Fox News appearance, commenting on the alleged prescription management issues under the Trump administration, as detailed in a 2024 Inspector General report by the Department of Defense (DOD).
The multi-year investigation found issues with the WHMU’s pharmaceutical management, including prescribing errors and dispensing medicines to ineligible White House staff. Critics on social media suggested Jackson should lose his medical license, though a spokesperson for Jackson told Newsweek that Jackson was not the director of the WHMU during most of the period covered by the investigation, ending his role in 2014.
Attorney Jeffrey Evan Gold commented on X, referencing a 2021 Pentagon report that found Jackson made “sexual and denigrating statements” and engaged in “alcohol-related misconduct, including wrecking a government vehicle while intoxicated.”
Jackson publicly denied the allegations from the Pentagon report in 2021, describing it as “a political hit job” and rejecting claims of consuming alcohol on duty or making inappropriate comments.
