Rep. Jamie Raskin, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, sent a letter on Friday, April 10, to the White House physician calling for a full neuropsychological assessment and cognitive screening of President Donald Trump. The letter asks that the results be made public.
Raskin took issue with Trump’s recent posts on Truth Social and his comments during the White House Easter Egg Roll on April 6, examples of behavior that have caused concern.
At the Easter event, which included families and children on the South Lawn, Trump referred to former Vice President Kamala Harris as a “low IQ person” and asked attendees which had a lower IQ, Harris or former President Joe Biden. He described the comparison as “probably the toughest question.”
The Maryland congressman wrote that experts have warned that Trump has shown signs consistent with dementia and cognitive decline.
He described the president’s recent public statements and outbursts as increasingly incoherent, volatile, profane, deranged, and threatening.
Raskin’s letter cites a bipartisan example of reviewing a president’s mental fitness. He urged the White House physician to act quickly because of the high-stakes decisions the president faces.
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Former Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime ally of Trump, has also spoken out on this issue. In recent days, she warned of “serious instability” in Trump’s thinking and said he had “gone insane” in posts related to tensions with Iran. She called on administration officials to intervene.
The request comes as Trump, now 79, serves his second term as the oldest person ever inaugurated as president.
Past discussions of presidential capacity have occurred across party lines, though no formal cognitive exam has been released for Trump in recent years.
White House officials have not commented publicly on Raskin’s letter as of Friday evening.
Trump’s personal physician has previously described him as in excellent physical health during past exams, including notes on high-resolution imaging of the heart and abdomen.
Raskin serves as the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee, which has oversight on matters involving the Department of Justice and constitutional questions.
While his letter does not propose legislation, it invokes existing processes for examining presidential fitness.
Concerns about Trump’s communication manner have circulated for years, but his supporters always dismiss them as politically motivated attacks.
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At the Easter Egg Roll, Trump also touched on other topics, including past claims that Biden used an autopen for signatures and references to military actions involving Iran, even as children rolled eggs nearby.
Raskin argued that the public has a right to clear information about the president’s capacity, especially given the demands of the office.
He noted that similar calls were made during previous administrations when questions arose about a president’s health.
The White House physician reports directly to the president and has historically released summaries of annual physicals that focus more on physical metrics than detailed cognitive testing.
Trump rejects mental decline claims.
The President has long rejected suggestions of mental decline, often turning the criticism toward his opponents. During the 2024 campaign, he frequently questioned Biden’s fitness, and those attacks continued after the election.
Raskin stressed that the request is not about policy disagreements but about guaranteeing the commander in chief can handle the responsibilities of the job.
He referenced past expert warnings from psychological experts who have observed Trump’s public behavior from afar, though those professionals have not conducted direct examinations.
The full text of the letter was shared on social media by congressional correspondents, including pages detailing specific recent incidents.
It calls for a complete evaluation that goes past standard physical checkups to include standardized cognitive screens.
