.@ByronYork: The White House debated a cognitive test for Biden—but chose the cover-up instead. They cried “cheapfakes,” smeared critics, and denied what voters saw with their own eyes. The inside story was deception. The outside story? Unmistakable decline.
| Claim | Result | Source Reference | Source Quote |
|---|---|---|---|
| The White House debated a cognitive test for Biden—but chose the cover-up instead. | rejected | https://www.npr.org/2024/02/28/1234438761/biden-physical-report | White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that his doctors determined that he didn't need a cognitive exam — though Biden's longtime doctor did not address the matter directly in his report. |
| The White House debated a cognitive test for Biden—but chose the cover-up instead. | rejected | https://www.npr.org/2024/06/16/g-s1-4673/trump-challenges-biden-to-cognitive-test-but-confuses-name-of-doctor-who-tested-him | Trump took the cognitive test in 2018 at his own request, Jackson told reporters at the time. |
| The White House responded to questions about Biden's mental acuity by crying “cheapfakes,” smearing critics, and denying what voters saw. | inconclusive | https://www.cnn.com/politics/live-news/biden-trump-election-07-05-24/index.html | |
| The inside story regarding Biden's cognitive test was deception. | inconclusive | https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/ctw/date/2024-02-28/segment/02 | |
| The inside story regarding Biden's cognitive test was deception. | inconclusive | https://prod.transcripts.cnn.com/show/cg/date/2024-02-05/segment/02 | |
| The outside story is unmistakable decline in Biden. | verified | https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/09/opinion/biden-election-trump.html | All this would be more sympathy-inducing if the president and his advisers weren’t engaged in what, to all outward appearances, looks to be an aggressive cover-up about the speed and extent of his decline. |
| The outside story is unmistakable decline in Biden. | rejected | https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/biden-promises-unity-redemption-amid-divisions-challenges-analysis/story?id=75380552 | But the focus on unity, empathy and spiritual renewal spoke to the promise that Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris carry with them into office -- a promise of restoration and of comfort in political normalcy. |
🤖 Conclusion [40/100]: The statement that the White House "debated a cognitive test for Biden—but chose the cover-up instead" is not supported by the cited sources; NPR reports that Biden's doctors concluded a cognitive exam wasn't needed, but there's no direct evidence of a debate or a 'cover-up.' Claims about the White House crying 'cheapfakes' and smearing critics are inconclusive due to lack of direct source quotes. The assertion that the 'inside story was deception' is also not substantiated by the referenced sources. The claim of 'unmistakable decline' in Biden is supported by opinion reporting in the New York Times, but isn't universally agreed upon, as other sources maintain a more nuanced view. Overall, the truthfulness of the statement is low, as key claims of debate, cover-up and deception are not directly supported by the sources presented.