On age, cognitive abilities
Now that Trump is the oldest candidate in the race, the focus on age has shifted squarely to him.
Asked if he would step down if his health were declining, Trump said he would.
“Absolutely, if I thought I was failing in some way,” he said, “I will go a step further, I want anybody running for president to take an aptitude test, to take a cognitive test. I think it is a great idea. And I took two of them and I aced them.”
Trump said he’d “love” to take a cognitive test and agreed to make it public. He then suggested he’d ask Harris to do the same as he also asked Biden.
“To be clear, you don’t think Harris would pass a cognitive test?” ABC’s Scott asked.
Trump went on to float false claims that Harris did not pass her bar exam, when it was just her first bar exam that she didn’t pass.
On pardoning Jan. 6 rioters
ABC’s Scott asked Trump: “You have called yourself the candidate of law and order. When Time magazine asked if you would consider pardoning all the rioters, you said yes, absolutely. One hundred forty police officers were assaulted that day. Their injuries included broken bones, at least one officer lost an eye, one had two cracked ribs, two smashed spinal discs, another had a stroke. Were the people who assaulted those 140 officers, including those I just mentioned patriots who deserve pardons?”
Trump initially dodged the question, attempted to make a connection to the thousands of protesters against the war in Gaza converging on Washington, D.C., during Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit last week where Trump has previously claimed that if they were Republicans, they’d be in jail.
Protesters on July 24, the day of Netanyahu’s address to Congress, covered many areas near Union Station in extensive graffiti and an American flag was burned. Some were arrested for allegedly assaulting police officers, obstructing traffic or other unlawful activity.
“My question is on those rioters who assaulted those officers — would you pardon those people?” Scott pressed.
“Absolutely, I would, if they’re innocent, I would pardon them,” Trump said.
“They’ve been convicted,” ABC’s Scott pushed back.
