- Joe Biden said he would take a neurological test, but only if his doctors tell him he needs one.
- "But no ones suggesting that to me now," the president said at the NATO summit on Thursday.
- His assurances come as pressure mounts for him to prove his cognitive fitness before the elections.
Facing mounting calls to take a neurological exam, President Joe Biden has agreed that he would — but only if his own doctors think there's something wrong with him.
Speaking at NATO's 75th anniversary celebratory event on Thursday, he was asked whether he would be "open to taking another physical or test before the election."
He responded that he had taken "three significant and intense neurological exams," with the most recent being in February.
The president tripped over his words then, saying he had been tested by a "neuro-neurosurgeon-neurologist."
The medical professionals had determined that he was in "good shape," he added.
"Every single day, I am surrounded by good docs," he said to the crowd at the NATO summit. "If they think there's a problem, I promise you, or even if they don't think there's a problem, if they think I should have a neurological exam again, I'll do it."
"But no one's suggesting that to me now," he said.
However, three anonymous former colleagues of White House physician Kevin O'Connor, who worked in the White House's medical unit, thought otherwise.
They told The Washington Post that Biden's abysmal debate performance suggested that the president undergo cognitive screening.
Adding fuel to the fire, Biden made a series of blunders at the NATO summit, mistakenly calling Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Russian President Vladimir Putin before quickly correcting himself.
He also referred to "Vice President Trump" instead of Vice President Kamala Harris.
Despite his assertions that he is mentally fit to run for reelection, he faces a chorus of calls — externally and from within his own party — to check his cognitive health.
Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was labeled as one of the best replacements for Biden if he dropped out of the race, said she doesn't "think it would hurt" for him to take a cognitive test.
GOP figures, too, have been calling on Biden to take a cognitive test.
On Sunday, Sen. Lindsey Graham said: "All nominees for president going into the future should have neurological exams as part of an overall physical exam."
He acknowledged that even former President Donald Trump, his longtime ally, should adhere to this.
Trump himself has historically jumped on chances to undermine his opponent's mental fitness, challenging Biden to get examined before the next debate.
Speaking at a Turning Point Action convention in Detroit on June 15, Trump said: "He doesn't even know what the word 'inflation' means. I think he should take a cognitive test like I did."
The former president said he took a cognitive test in 2018 and has since bragged about it, saying he "aced" it "very hard."
However, experts have warned that making Biden take a neurological test could be a "slippery slope."
"Today, it's basic cognitive tests. Tomorrow, it's IQ tests. The next thing you know, candidates are battling each other over who is a member of Mensa," Thomas Gift, an associate professor of political science at University College London, told Business Insider.
Representatives for Biden didn't immediately respond to requests for comment sent outside regular business hours.