The odd request Trump made before debating Biden

Prior to the disastrous debate, that would be a culminating factor in Joe Biden dropping out of the Presidential race, Donald Trump made some very unusual requests.

Biden's poor performance during the debate, an attempted assassination of Trump, and the revelation that Ohio Senator J.D. Vance would be joining Trump on the 2024 Republican presidential ticket all drowned out the events that occurred before the debate.

In a strange Truth Social post on June 24th, Trump intensified his calls for Biden to take a drug test before their first debate, and the former president even offered to take one himself as well.

“Drug test for crooked Joe Biden?” Trump wrote in all-caps before adding: “I would also, immediately agree to one!” 

Photo Credit: Truth Social @realDonaldTrump

ABC News reported that Trump’s request was one of a long list of many his campaign made to CNN.

The former president began publicly calling for Biden to be drug-tested as early as April 2024 according to ABC News.

Around the same time Trump began saying he would debate Biden anywhere or anytime as long as he was drug-tested.

On June 22nd, Trump publicly riffed about Biden during a campaign rally in Philadelphia. 

Trump told a crowd of his supporters that if the President did well against him in their first debate it would be because he was on performance-enhancing drugs. 

"So, a little before debate time, he gets a shot in the a** — they want to strengthen him up so he comes out, he'll come out, okay, I say he'll come out all jacked up, right? All jacked up," Trump explained to the crowd according to ABC News. 

The Biden campaign has repeatedly denied Trump’s claims that the President takes any performance-enhancing drugs.

Instead Biden's team blamed the former president’s rhetoric on him being scared to face off against Biden according to a statement. 

“Donald Trump is so scared of being held accountable for his toxic agenda of attacking reproductive freedom and cutting Social Security that he and his allies are resorting to desperate, obviously false lies,” said Biden campaign spokesperson Lauren Hitt. 

The New York Times reported that Trump's Truth Social request wasn't the first time the former president had accused a political rival of using drugs. 

Trump used the same tactic against Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton back in 2016 ahead of their debates. 

Trump even tipped his hand a bit long before he was set to debate Biden. While at the Minnesota Republican Party’s Lincoln Reagan Dinner in May 2024, Trump told the crowd he was going to demand a drug test from Biden before any future debate. 

“I’m gonna demand a drug test too, by the way,” Trump said at the dinner according to a quote published by The Hill. “I am, no I really am, I don’t want him coming in like the State of the Union, he was high as a kite.” 

The former president hasn't brought up the issue of Biden being on drugs since he debated the President. However, when the time comes for him to debate Kamala Harris, we wouldn't be surprised if he make similar accusation, especially if Harris beats him.

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