President Trump baselessly accuses Biden of taking performance-enhancing drugs during primary debates

trump biden drugs interview fox news — President Donald Trump speaks to Fox News' Jeanine Pirro at the White House, in an interview aired on September 12, 2020.
Fox News

President Trump baselessly accused Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of taking performance-enhancing drugs during the primary debates.
Speaking to Fox News' host Jeanine Pirro in an interview that aired on Saturday night, Trump said: "I think there's probably – possibly – drugs involved."
It is the second time the president has said he believes Biden takes drugs to enhance his speaking skills.
The president did not provide any evidence to support his claims and did not mention what drugs he believes Biden was taking.
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In a Fox News interview that aired on Saturday night, President Trump baselessly accused Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden of taking performance-enhancing drugs during the primary debates.

Speaking to Jeanine Pirro, Trump said: "I think there's probably – possibly – drugs involved. That's what I hear. I mean, there's possibly drugs. I don't know how you can go from being so bad where you can't even get out a sentence…"

Trump was referring to Biden's early performances in the Democratic primary debates before his surge to victory during Super Tuesday, suggesting that the improvement resulted from drugs.

"You saw some of those debates with the large number of people on the stage," Trump said. "He was, I mean, I used to say, 'How is it possible that he can go forward?'"

The president did not provide any evidence to support his claims and said his suspicion was based on his observations. He also did not mention what drug he thought Biden was taking.

Watch the moment in the interview below:

—Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) September 11, 2020

Trump also said he believes Biden won the Democratic nomination "because Elizabeth Warren didn't drop out."

"Had she dropped out Bernie [Sanders] would've won Super Tuesday, every state, and you would've had Bernie instead of Biden," he added.

It isn't the first time the president implied that Biden was taking drugs.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner last month, Trump promised to call for drug testing for both Biden and himself before the first debate, which will happen on September 29.

"Nobody thought that he was even going to win," Trump said about Biden's primary win, according to the Washington Examiner. "Because his debate performances were so bad."

"I don't know how he could have been so incompetent in his debate performances and then all of a sudden be OK against Bernie," Trump added. "My point is, if you go back and watch some of those numerous debates, he was so bad. He wasn't even coherent. And against Bernie, he was. And we're calling for a drug test."

Biden and Trump will meet for their first debate in Cleveland on September 29, in Miami, on October 15, and in Nashville on October 22.

The debates will be against the backdrop of a deadly pandemic, months of protests against racial injustice, and the worst economic slump in decades.

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