Trump demands Biden take a drug test ahead of first presidential debate

Donald Trump has ridiculed Joe Biden

Credit: Steve Helber/AP

After months of ridiculing Joe Biden’s mental faculties, Donald Trump is bracing himself for the challenge of a reinvigorated opponent in the first of the presidential debates  on Tuesday.

Having relished the prospect of facing off against the 77-year-old former vice-president, Mr Trump appeared to be preparing his excuses in advance should he come off second best in Cleveland, Ohio.

“I will be strongly demanding a Drug Test of Sleepy Joe Biden prior to, or after, the Debate on Tuesday night. Naturally, I will agree to take one also,” he said on Twitter.

According to Mr Trump, only drugs could explain Mr Biden’s recent “uneven” performances.

Joe Biden prepares to debate Donald Trump

Credit: Krystal Kaster/AP

“I don’t know which Biden is going to show up because I watched him during the debates where they had 20 people on the stage … and he was a disaster, you don’t get worse.

“He was grossly incompetent. Then I watched him against Bernie and he was okay,” Mr Trump said on Fox and Friends earlier this month.

Having lowered expectations, Mr Trump could suffer if Mr Biden performs impressively.

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How pivotal the debates is questionable. Political folklore suggests a sweaty Richard Nixon was undone by his debate against John F. Kennedy in 1960.

Ronald Reagan’s geniality in a debate against Jimmy Carter enabled him to deflect attacks that he was dangerous.

The latest opinion polls show Mr Biden maintaining a lead of eight to ten points over Mr Trump nationally. The Democrat candidate also is ahead in several swing states including Wisconsin, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

Mr Biden has played safe, avoiding journalists and making far fewer personal appearances than Mr Trump — who has been hurtling around the country.

Despite being the incumbent, the pressure is on Mr Trump who needs to land significant blows on Mr Biden if he is to make a dent in his opponent’s poll lead.

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Having entered the Senate in 1973, Mr Biden is a veteran politician and is thought to have performed well in vice-presidential debates against Sarah Palin and Paul Ryan in 2008 and 2012 respectively.

However, in Mr Trump, Mr Biden will be facing an unconventional and unpredictable opponent.

Details of how both men have prepared remain sketchy. It is assumed that Mr Biden will enlist a Democrat to play the role of the president in a debate rehearsal.

In 2016 Hillary Clinton used Philippe Reines, one of her senior advisers. 

Writing in the Washington Post, Mr Reines laid out the lengths he went to in impersonating Mr Trump, including buying a red tie and ill-fitting suit.

The president has denied making special preparations, although the LA Times reported that he has been working on attack lines with advisers including Mark Meadows, the White House chief of staff.