https://www.newsweek.com/trump-biden-debate-maga-cnn-drugs-1916947
Trump loyalists have spent days pushing claims as to why the president may beat their low expectations at Thursday's debate.
They need to give both as many and as much drugs as they want. If drugs will somehow make them coherent, make it a requirement. I honestly don’t see a downside. They can even advertise for the drugs and everyone still wins
“Only FDA-approved substances will be allowed” (but we’re not going to do any testing so go wild!)
The Toke-Athalon - a three stage sport involving [some thing], a 1 gram rolling and smoking race, and a round of trivia.
Back in the day we had a regular civil disobedience event that had a game like this, but it was cannabis activism trivia, roll and smoke race, and more cannabis activism trivia. Surely there's a better third event somewhere.
Exactly this.
"Sorry Mr. President, the policies you enacted during the triple hurricane saved thousands of lives, but the drug test you took beforehand were positive for mood stabilizers so we've invalidated your policies and everyone who was saved by them has been taken out back and shot."
This isn't the fucking Olympics. But then debates are a terrible way to judge a president to begin with.
Debates where candidates debated the actual question/issue raised were useful. Whatever we have nowadays as they talk about unrelated things and try to find their 7s soundbite are useless.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MVZdS18NX8
I hate linking a probably right wing channel by the name, but it is a compilation of dozens of occasions just in the last two years. Biden is definitely not at the mental capacity to run a nuclear armed country. Neither is Trump.
And that should alarm everyone as they both are clearly put there as puppets to be controlled.
ITS LIKE BUM FIGHTS BUT WE JUST FILLED A RETIREMENT HO- I MEAN THE US GOVERNMENT WITH METH.
Why would they panic? They'll just play their usual pigeon chess: knocking the pieces over, crapping on the board, and flying off to announce that they have won.
They saw him during the State of the Union and it didn't match the clips and memes from their echo chamber that they live in.
They tried to blame drugs (pigeon chess) and no normal person has bought it. They don't have a plan B for when people actually hear him talk.
Ate out with the wife tonight, and got an unexpected political back-to-back: the restaurant had CNN playing on one end of my field of view, and Fox on the other.
CNN reported on all kinds of shit. Every time I looked up, different topic. They went back to the upcoming debate and the Gaza genocide a couple times, but otherwise just an even spread of unfolding events.
Fox spent most of the time talking about how left wing media will spin the debate to make Trump look like an extremist; and then a few small snips about how illegal immigrants are terrorizing our society and getting our youth hooked on fentanyl. They even managed to bitch about Hillary lol, although I missed the context... assuming they're still rambling about emails.
People who watch Fox must be terrified and angry like all the time lol.
I completely missed the "with" in your first sentence and, wow, I had some thoughts and feelings which I am glad I didn't share without re-reading what you wrote first.
I did the same and this comment made me look again. Was bout ready to say does this guy have a news kink? Lmfao
Yeah, I was wondering which restaurants this guy was able to eat his wife out at. Every time I've tried I get the old, "Sir, this is White Castle, even we have standards."
I was wondering which restaurants this guy was able to eat his wife out at.
Waffle House, ofc.
Adderall, if you don't have ADHD, will act as a stimulant but does nothing to make you smarter or more coherent. It also does nothing for dementia that the Trump team wants everyone to believe Joe has, somehow without symptoms. Trump on the other hand has MANY symptoms of dementia, and appears to be declining quickly.
Pretending that a drug even exists that somehow Biden could take that would make him alert and dementia free for a debate (or State of the Union) just helps muddy the water around Trump's decline.
It would be a good thing to test Trump on drugs. His team has all the incentive to make him not sound the babbling idiot that he is.
Why bother? What drugs are we hoping to find and be like "gotcha!", that's why he had such a convincing word salad about magnets, windmills, sharks, and batteries when asked about his plan for a future term.
They both have dementia.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8MVZdS18NX8
The constant stream of occasions of Biden becoming incoherent, forgetting social norms and protocol and sometimes just standing there blitzed out of his mind are clear signs of dementia. They are both demented old men and watching people argue about how their demented old men is less demented is hilarious on the one said and deeply sad and worrying on the other side.
Also Adderall, which is amphetamine aka speed also acts as a stimulant for people with ADHD. It is just at a smaller dosage that makes the stimulation help focus. Like you said stimulants cannot help against dementia. Regular stimulant use is more likely to worsen it, as it is neurotoxic.
My life is a constant stream of becoming incoherent, forgetting social norms and standing there dumbfounded and very few people say I’m demented. I also don’t engage the public for work, nor do I have a camera trained on me all day with an army of detractors at the ready.
Are you a career politician? Do you have 40 years of experience on how exactly not to do this? Does your work require a particular emphasis on knowing how to behave with a camera on you half of the day?
There has been like 4 videos about Biden that are all provably fake in the past week alone. They're lying about him. He's old, but he doesn't have dementia.
The number of sad white men who wear their grandma's bra's in the darkness of their room is higher than anyone wants to admit. It's always projection. Every accusation from conservatives provides insight into their actual desires.
I say, test both of them!
They should both be tested for drugs often, the working class is forced to undergo drug testing, why not the owner class as well, they are 'civil servants'; by multiple people and organizations, that would be fun to see differences in reports and writeups, even more if data is shown on what chemicals are in their system.
The claims arrive as Trump himself changes his tune on how well Biden may perform at the CNN debate. Having previously called Biden the "worst debater I have ever faced," Trump recently told the All-In Podcast that the president will be a "worthy debater" and that he does not want to "underestimate" Biden on Thursday.
"If President Biden needs to take performance enhancing drugs in order to participate in this week's debate, then it is imperative that he and his physician disclose that to the American people," Jackson said. "CNN's people leaked debate questions to Hillary Clinton in 2016," Grenell posted on X. Grenell was making reference to previous reports on how former chair of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile gave notice to Clinton's team about a debate question ahead of her 2016 debate with Trump.
"CNN's people leaked debate questions to Hillary Clinton in 2016," Grenell posted on X. Grenell was making reference to previous reports on how former chair of the Democratic National Committee Donna Brazile gave notice to Clinton's team about a debate question ahead of her 2016 debate with Trump.
Responding to the incident, Leavitt told Newsweek: "CNN cutting off my microphone for bringing up a debate moderator's history of anti-Trump lies just proves our point that President Trump will not be treated fairly in Thursday's debate.
Agreed that the position should be subject to drug testing. You have to be sober as a cat to pilot a commercial plane, but a speed junkie can have nukes? Insane.
“Sober as a cat” is a funny expression, because they’re the only type of pet I can think of that gets drugs (catnip) for fun.
I agree about presidential drug testing though.
"Sober as a cat" is a a funny expression if you have played "Dwarf Fortress" for some time. They had a strange bug once about cats being so drunk that they died.
I mean, Adolf Hitler was a world leader with a predilection for speed, and look where he ended up. Makes sense to me.
I really want to know the specific “performance enhancing drugs” these people think Biden is using. No hand-waving. Be explicit and tell everyone what magical drugs these are and then let’s test them both for these drugs.
They can't, because no drug is available that both pumps you up, and helps the symptoms of dementia for a short burst of time. It's all an effort to muddy the water about Trump's clear cognitive decline that appears to be accelerating. If elected for another term, he may well be like Regan, with an even more evil "Nancy" in his ear "guiding" him everyday (and to essential be running the country while keeping Trump's decline on the DL).
with an even more evil “Nancy” in his ear “guiding” him everyday (and to essential be running the country while keeping Trump’s decline on the DL).
That sound you just heard was Stephen Miller getting a boner thinking about putting all non-whites into camps.
Yes, I got that. That’s why I called them “magical”. I’m pretty sure everyone knows they don’t exist. That’s the point.
I'm agreeing with you, and just try to explain the "why" part, as some people just hear "performance enhancing drug(s)" and don't stop to think what that even means for man in his 80's.
What are you trying to point out here? That we have dementia medication that helps keep patients awake?
If so, that is missing the point of the fact that being awake does not mean "alert" or "amped up" which is what the GOP keeps claiming. They are also stressing that Biden can actually speak in full sentences and convey ideas. He may stumble from time to time, but he is in his 80's and has struggled with a stutter his whole life. He will also catch and correct himself.
Trump has the "amped up" part covered with his uppers, but he can't put together a logical sentence, let alone an idea or "paint a picture" of his plan for anything. He increasingly has ticks and brain skips where he gets stuck and has to just bail.
Trump has the “amped up” part covered with his uppers, but he can’t put together a logical sentence, let alone an idea or “paint a picture” of his plan for anything.
What do you mean? His recent stuff about sharks and batteries was amazing :)
They can’t, because no drug is available that both pumps you up, and helps the symptoms of dementia for a short burst of time.
This is what you said. You were wrong. To be clear, this isn't a "hurr durr Biden has dementia" comment. I think they're both likely taking it or something like it. And, again, I am not making a judgement about it, I think that the President of the United States should be able to use every medical tool available to them if it helps them perform their duties (traditional amphetamines absolutely would not do this).
That drug is not being used in the context of the GOP allegations with 100% certainty. Dementia treatment drugs, including that one you linked, are not just pop them before the debate and your "symptom free" and/or all of a sudden a word smith. We don't have drugs that bring people back to the degree the GOP is claiming Biden is, and trying to both sides this just gives validation to these wild conspiracy theories.
Biden is old, and that is what people are seeing and trying to both sides. There are times when an 81 year old man is going to be unsure what to do, but it's because they are old and the world has changed a lot in 80+ years. But we also have Fox and others editing videos, like cropping Biden interacting with a paratrooper so they are out of the frame and he looks like he is facing the wrong way and lost. This is part of their "flood the zone with shit" plan that makes it so we are even discussing this like it's a both sides issue instead of just Trump being a few years away from being another Regan.
Edit - autocorrect hates me. 😩
Modafinil, and other drugs in its class, aren't "dementia treatment drugs." That's what the study was attempting to establish, and there seem to be promising results. But for now they're still just "wakefulness promoting agents" (or according to wiki, the class is now called: "eugeroic") that are used for narcolepsy and shift sleep disorder. Also maybe off-label for "excessive daytime sleepiness" due to... Whatever can make people excessively sleepy I guess.
They are given to fighter jet pilots who need to stay awake for very long missions (source: https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20240314-the-drug-pilots-take-to-stay-awake)
I won't speculate too much on Trump's mental health situation, dude probably has tertiary syphilis at this point. He is clearly sundowning and showing the hallmarks of actual dementia (e.g. the stench, etc.). Huh, guess I speculated a bit after all.
Biden, on the other hand, is just old and facing the normal level of cognitive decline that anyone at his age with such a stressful job would face. Not to mention that he's openly struggled with a speech impairment all his life, which can certainly make him appear more deficient than he actually is. I think his decline has been greatly exaggerated and meme-ified by the left and the right, and is really no comparison to the actual legitimate mental health clusterfuck that is Donald Trump's brain.
In Biden's case, modafinil (or probably armodafinil or some new shit that's better) could for sure appear to do exactly as you say. That is, make him more coherent, alert, with increased memory and general cognitive abilities. In about 30 minutes. And it would last prob 8-10 hours or so.
These drugs really are fascinating, you should do some more research before assuming they're like any amphetamine, coming with all of that baggage. But there is a reason they are specifically not called "stimulants."
I understand the urge to make comparisons to what you already know, but this class of drugs really is very uniquely different and have nearly zero recreational value.
There is a HUGE difference in my mind on what is being debated here, and what the Far Right are alleging. The Far Right is saying that Biden has dementia like symptoms 90% of the time, and then for big things like the State of the Union and now this debate, someone gives him a bunch of drugs and all of a sudden his dementia is 100% gone and he is sharp and full of energy. All the stimulants in the world aren't going to reverse the stage of dementia they allege that Biden has (or that Trump has - and may well be self treating that way).
I did a little research of my own to see if any actual studies existed about the effect of stimulants on people with dementia and found, this one and this one.
The first had the following quote:
Although patients showed improvements in apathy scores, the authors cautioned that benefits were modest (that could be due to the modest study size). In addition, patients did not show improvements in tests that measure how successfully they complete activities of daily living, like getting dressed and preparing meals. Nor did the drug lead to improvements in tests of memory and thinking skills. It might take longer than six months to observe significant differences on those parameters, or it might also be function of the age of the patients.
This was also after 6 months, not a pill before "show time". Also remember that Biden is 81, to much up could turn his lights off.
The second study found this:
There were no significant treatment effects on cognition and clinical outcomes, as expected given the short trial duration.
This study was over 12 months, so double the other and nothing.
Edit - ugh .. spelling.
For the people who are mature enough to need viagra, but still don’t know how to swallow a pill.
Said it above, but it's more likely they're taking "wakefulness promoting agents" like modafinil or armodafinil. In which case, I don't really take any issue with as they're pretty amazing drugs with very few side effects and little to no potential to be habit forming.
Ive heard IRL people say its rigged because apparently mics will be turned off if it isn't their turn? Idk if thats true but I'm fully behind the idea personally lol.
The interruptions, while “entertaining”, should not exist in a debate so consequential. I feel like high school debate clubs have more decorum than any presidential debate in the last 16 years. Mic cuts are absolutely needed.
Idk. I was in a highschool debate club a bit over a decade ago, and I was very good at the public forum event. Like, regularly in the top 32 for both the NFL and CFL national tournaments good. There were other people at the top of that ladder with me that made very effective use of the "pound the table" strategy, and how well it worked often boiled down to judge variance. People act that way in debates because it absolutely works on some viewers
I was just making a joke to highlight the bullshit presidential debates have become, but I get what you mean. Shouting IS effective.
That is true and a common rule to prevent someone from just talking over everyone else. It doesn't mean they'll just get cut, at least not at this level. They'll finish their piece and then the mic is turned off while the other person is responding.
Yup, but they don't cut their mike right at the time limit. That would be hilarious, but moderators chosen for presidential debates like their job and personal brand that keeps them employed.
Both of these guys are ancient. I wouldn't care if any of them used drugs (as long as they don't pose long-term risks for their health) because they might as well be medication. Or are we going to be so dense that the idea that two 80 years olds are likely taking some medication is going to fly over our heads? Furthermore, where do we draw the line of what a "drug-enhancing drug" is? Coffee? Most adults take it to function under inhuman schedules. Adderall? If you do have ADHD, you do also need it to function; if you don't have it, it's going be even less useful than coffee. Anything else that they bought at a pharmacy? I don't care.
All in all, this looks like a talking point made up by people who want to treat politics like a sport, where we're supposed to watch "athletes" compete with equal opportunity for performance, which is definitely not what a presidential debate should be about.
Furthermore, where do we draw the line of what a "drug-enhancing drug" is?
I want drug-enhancing drugs
They're more likely using "wakefulness promoting agents" like modafinil and armodafinil (Provogil/Nuvigil respectively, or probably some better shit in the same class) which are actually kind of amazing and I have zero issue with them taking it.
Non-euphoric, and as far as I'm aware, not physically habit forming; it just keeps you awake and alert, I don't know how else to describe it. Essentially none of the side effects (pleasurable or not) of traditional stimulants. After about 8-10 hours you sleep pretty ok.
I'm really not sure why these drugs haven't become more popular over the last decade or two... Probably the whole "not habit forming" thing.
I've got a stash that I've had in a drawer for 5+ years and I'll take one like three times a year or something as needed.
Probably because modafinil carries some risky nasty side effects that adderall doesn't.
Are they rare? Yes.
Are they deadly? Also yes.
I’ve got a stash that I’ve had in a drawer for 5+ years and I’ll take one like three times a year or something as needed.
Yo, I just re-read your comment. Yeah, that's... not good. Modafinil is deffo one of those ones youre supposed to titrate off of and going off of it cold turkey or only using it here and there is one of the ways to get those really dangerous side effects. Please stop this.
There is no titrating off a single dose, what do you mean? Titration would require taking the drug regularly for a period of time and then stopping.
I think you misunderstood what I said. I take one on the super rare occasion that I feel I need it, which probably averages out to like 3 times a year or less. There is nothing dangerous about that, and if you think there is then you're misinformed.
not physically habit forming; it just keeps you awake and alert...
The military would like to know your location as it keeps having problems with minor issues like sailors falling asleep while driving ships.
Jokes aside, these are incredibly habit forming in the wrong environments. Under supervision and attempting to stabilize your sleep schedule they're great. But the abuse envelope is huge, from truckers to cops.
This is kind of obvious and I probably don't have to say it but..
Trump is doing this to weasel his way out of a debate he shouldn't have agreed to. No way in hell Trump subjects himself to the same drug test. He's betting on Biden not agreeing to it either so he can just say "well those liberals are obviously playing dirty so I'm out"
The drugs in question are necessarily irrelevant
You are definitely right that this is a manipulative move on Trump's part to make Biden look bad and get out if this debate.
But aren't most people in their 80's on a bunch of drugs anyway? Like blood pressure pills, cholesterol medicine, diuretics, arthritis medication etc? I'm not trying to stereotype older folks, but every person I've met over 60 seems to take a lot of pills.... that help them live and perform actions they couldn't otherwise.
Um Adderall is not less useful than coffee for non-ADHD peeps.
Edit: reading other comments, I see what you mean. For dementia/clarity, no, but just wakefulness, yes it does something.
As far as I know, Adderall for people without ADHD induces the self-perception of higher performance, yet increase in performance isn't actually statistically noticeable, so it might be useful for someone who feels emotionally stuck (afraid of failing, tired), but not for someone who does not have the capacity to do well, much like caffeine only gives you the self-perception that you're less tired than you actually are.
i dunno dude, one time I got a gram of basement crank and was excited to try it, so I horked a rail right before band practice. our lead singer/guitarist was like "yo your drumming is so tight today, youre on fire!" and I was like "speed!"
I mean, fighter pilots are given them to stay sharp on long missions. You think that's because they're emotionally stuck?
Every fighter pilot I've ever dated was emotionally stuck. Or "stalled" as so many of them insisted on calling it.
Use of stimulants like amphetamine or methamphetamine, which are both drugs prescribed for ADHD comes with many side effects. When abused they deteriorate the brain and body quite strongly and they have many psychological problems associated with them like delusions, developing a lack of empathy, disorientation...
80 years old should definitely not do speed, even if it is doctor prescribed.
They're likely not using amphetamines, but rather (ar)modafinil or something else in that class. Which have very few side effects.
On one hand I'm glad the media is reporting on this. On the other hand they seem to be signal boosting a lot of the messaging from the right
texas rep. Ronny Jackson is among those who have demanded that Biden take part in a drug test before and after Thursday's debate. Jackson, who served as Trump's White House physician and medical adviser... [said] "If President Biden needs to take performance enhancing drugs in order to participate in this week's debate, then it is imperative that he and his physician disclose that to the American people," Jackson said.
In that case, anything that you wanted to disclose to the American people there, Ronny? It's always just breathless, impotent projection...
Does anybody else find it a little sad that Ronny Jackson simps for Trump when Trump can't even remember his name when talking about him? Or did he just change his name to Ronny Johnson so that the god-king doesn't have to be wrong?
I mean, I would find it sad if I weren't completely out of sympathy for these Trump sycophants who let Trump talk shit about them publicly so that they can cling to power a little longer. Especially the shitheels who criticized Trump and now find themselves kissing the ring and bending the knee to get that VP nom.
Find it all sad, would be more sympathetic though if they weren't literally fascist psychopaths that want to burn down the world so that nobody can directly focus on the fact that they are bald, broke, gay and their father never told them, "I love you".
Probably the only time I agree on a both sides argument. Hell, while we're at it, lets drug test the house and senate too.
projection…
Hmm, so Trump needs before and after debate drugs? Of course amphetamines would be the classical far right choice, but then there's the whole opioid crisis thing going on... choices, choices...
Trump could take all the Adderall available in the world and he would still be a fucking moron.
If Trump is going to challenge Biden to a mental coherency test, why doesn't Biden challenge Trump to a bicycle race or a 2k run? After all, Trump has declared himself the healthiest President in history. (But a race like that would have good possibility of causing Trump a heart attack... which would of course be an unfortunate outcome).
Yes very unfortunate. Certainly nothing to wish, pray, or perform dark rituals for. Certainly not.
Doesn't Biden have a broken foot that hasn't healed very well and makes him shuffle around a bit?
I've said this before and I'll say it again: There are better things to attack Trump for than how he looks, what physical conditions he has or how he smells.
At face value, those sorts of things have little effect on the ability to run a country well.
Even his hair is a better target because how he wears it would appear to show vanity, a quality that might actually interfere with stable management. That's still a relatively big stretch without other evidence (of which there would appear to be plenty) though.
Attack his ideas, his intents, his politics. He makes this easy enough, right? Start there.
"LOL u smel" is something you expect in the playground. Something Trump himself might use, perhaps.
We have to be better than that.
His base doesn’t care that he’s a criminal and a rapist. They might care that he smells like poop
His base would happily shit their pants if they thought a Liberal would have to smell it.
At face value, those sorts of things have little effect on the ability to run a country well.
Fuck, man, I'm not saying that the smell is necessarily a good strategic choice for winning over voters, but if it is, Biden absolutely should hammer on it. Fuck the "We go high" shite.
They should only get to wear underpants - tidy whiteys! Nothing bulky or absorbent!
Trump should have to wear an orange jumpsuit with a serial number on the left breast and "INMATE" stamped clearly on the back.
Wait, so t-rump would wear his tighty whiteys on the outside of his jumpsuit? Like the dictator in Banana Republic required? Otherwise we’d never know.
It's not like the test will be fair or legitimate anyway. Look at the whacks they currently have rubber stamping the two bastions of health and mental stability.
Rubber stamped? Biden gets trashed because he's old, talks slow, has a stutter, and all they see are edited clips.
He has way more scrutiny than an average person. It's so bad that Republicans are accusing him of using drugs because they heard him give a speech and literally couldn't believe he could be coherent.
Rubber stamped because his rich you fucking clod not to mention been in us politics for 50 years, I'm sure he knows perhaps a Dr. Or has a connection who owes him a favor. He could shove an ice cream cone up your ass and his "expert" would declare it warm. You would probably agree.
Dumb framing. They aren't panicking, they're framing the results so they can fit them to their narrative no matter what happens. Biden wins = he was on drugs, no way senile and incapable Biden could win otherwise. Biden loses = full proof he's senile and incapable.
The great thing about a debate is that you don't even have to watch the damned things to know who won.
Your team did! Because your team is the best and always was!
Alternatively people like me need to suffer through them because the media spin is ridiculous on them. Not that it matters anyways, it's not like they're going to feel beholden to what they said.
If they do end up testing for drugs, the results will be as real as their other results have been