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Fact check: Biden says he hasn't taken a cognitive test. Is he flip-flopping?

During an interview set to air Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden said that he had not taken a cognitive test and attacked the question as unfair, likening it to being asked if he was a "junkie."

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Holmes Lybrand
CNN — During an interview set to air Thursday, former Vice President Joe Biden said that he had not taken a cognitive test and attacked the question as unfair, likening it to being asked if he was a "junkie."

"No, I haven't taken a test. Why the hell would I take a test?" Biden said in an interview with the National Association of Black Journalists and National Association of Hispanic Journalists. "Come on, man. That's like saying you, before you got on this program, you take a test where you're taking cocaine or not. What do you think? Huh? Are you a junkie?"

Some on the right have attacked Biden as flip flopping from previous comments he made, suggesting that he has in the past confirmed that he was taking cognitive tests.

"He definitively said that he was tested and even said 'constantly' tested, what changed?" Donald Trump Jr. tweeted Wednesday. "Which time was Biden out right lying?"

Facts First: Biden has previously said he was "constantly tested" and "all you got to do is watch me" when it comes to his cognitive state. The Biden campaign clarified at the time that Biden was talking about being tested on the campaign trail, not through a literal cognitive test.

On June 30, Biden was asked by a reporter if he had taken a cognitive test. "I've been tested and I'm constantly tested," Biden said. "Look, all you got to do is watch me, and I can hardly wait to compare my cognitive capability to the cognitive capability of the man I'm running against."

The next day, in a July 1 interview, Trump incorrectly suggested that Biden was talking about being tested for the coronavirus.

On July 2, the Biden campaign clarified that he was speaking about being tested through running for president, not that he constantly receives cognitive tests.

"First of all, he's been tested every single day that he's been on the campaign trail. You know, he went through 12 debates in the Democratic primary. He defeated 25 other candidates to become the Democratic nominee," Biden's deputy campaign manager Kate Bedingfield said on Fox News.

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