Johnson: Nobody Thinks Biden Will Be on Cocaine at Debate

'There's a lot of things that are said in jest,' House speaker says of Trump remarks
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted Jun 26, 2024 12:55 PM CDT
Johnson: Nobody Thinks Biden Will Be on Coke at Debate
"Of course, no one expects that Joe Biden will be on cocaine," Johnson said.   (AP Photo/Mariam Zuhaib)

Donald Trump wasn't serious when he implied that President Biden will be on cocaine during the Thursday night debate, according to House Speaker Mike Johnson. "Look, there's a lot of things that are said in jest," Johnson told CNN's Kaitlin Collins on Tuesday. "Of course, no one expects that Joe Biden will be on cocaine." At a recent rally, Trump said Biden will "be so pumped up" during the debate, the Hill reports. "Whatever happened to all that cocaine that was missing a month ago from the White House," Trump asked, apparently referring to a baggie of the drug found in a West Wing lobby a year ago.

Johnson said it was more likely that Biden would be on "energy drinks or something" during the debate. He referred to the president's energetic State of the Union address in March. "He had a lot of energy that night," Johnson said, per Mediaite. "So, that's the Joe Biden I expect to see. The question is, can he stay for 90 minutes on that stage and go toe-to-toe with President Trump, who as you know, goes to rallies and talks two hours on end without any break and any notes."

In recent weeks, Trump has repeatedly claimed that Biden will be using performance-enhancing drugs and called for a drug test before the debate, as he did before debates with Biden in 2020 and Hillary Clinton in 2016, the Washington Post reports. (More presidential debate stories.)

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