(NewsNation) — Former President Donald Trump has done a recent about-turn in his public perception of President Joe Biden just days before the two presumptive candidates for president take to the debate stage on Thursday in Atlanta for the first time.
Trump, who has for months questioned Biden’s mental and physical acuity, referred to the 81-year-old president as a “worthy debater” during a weekend appearance on the “All-In” podcast.
“I assume he’s going to be somebody that is a worthy debater,” Trump said on the podcast appearance. “I don’t want to underestimate him.”
Trump used Biden’s 2012 debate performance against Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan as a means for the president’s ability to perform well in a debate environment.
Yet that didn’t stop Trump from attacking the president’s stance on several key issues expected to play key roles in November’s general election.
“I happen to think he is incompetent for a lot of reasons,” Trump said in the podcast. “I think he’s incompetent because he has gotten the worst policies — both foreign policy and internal policy. Who would not want to have a wall? Who wants to have millions of people pouring in? Who wants to have high taxes?”
Asked by one of the podcast hosts if he feels Biden is in cognitive decline, Trump replied, “I shouldn’t be the one to say that.”
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TOPSHOT – US First Lady Melania Trump (L) stands with US President Donald Trump as Jill Biden (R) hugs husband Democratic Presidential candidate and former US Vice President Joe Biden after the conclusion of the final presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, on October 22, 2020. (Photo by Jim WATSON / AFP) (Photo by JIM WATSON/AFP via Getty Images) -
Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, right, looks at his watch as U.S. President Donald Trump, left, pauses during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Trump and Biden will square off for 90 minutes in their final debate, but the biggest risk for each candidate comes more from their own weaknesses and less from each other. Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images -
Joe Biden, 2020 Democratic presidential nominee, speaks during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Trump and Biden will square off for 90 minutes in their final debate, but the biggest risk for each candidate comes more from their own weaknesses and less from each other. Photographer: Morry Gash/AP/Bloomberg via Getty Images -
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during the U.S. presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee, U.S., on Thursday, Oct. 22, 2020. Trump and Biden traded charges of secretly taking money from foreign interests, after the former vice president addressed head-on Trumps efforts to portray him as corrupt. Photographer: Kevin Dietsch/UPI/Bloomberg via Getty Images
“But I don’t think he’s doing particularly well. But I didn’t think he was well 25 years ago. I thought he was not a smart person. … I was never a fan of his.”
In other campaign appearances, Trump has claimed without evidence that Biden was using drugs to enhance his public appearances. In a rally in Michigan, ABC News reported that Trump told supporters that Biden “was high as a kite” during his State of the Union speech.
Trump told Michigan supporters that he would demand Biden take a drug test ahead of Thursday’s debate. In the social media post, which appeared Monday, Trump reverted back to his past characterization of the president, calling him “Crooked Joe Biden.”
In response, the Biden campaign released a statement on Monday, saying, “Trump is so scared of being held accountable for his toxic agenda of attacking reproductive freedom and cutting Social Security that he and his allies are resorting to desperate, obviously false lies.”
Trump has suggested in other interviews that the Democratic Party could replace Biden if he does not perform well on Thursday in Atlanta.
“Maybe I’m better off losing the debate; I’ll make sure he stays. I’ll lose the debate on purpose, maybe I’ll do something like that,” Trump said during an interview with Real America’s Voices, according to ABC News.
Biden is spending the days leading up to Thursday’s debate at Camp David, where he is meeting with advisers. The president’s campaign said over the weekend that it would allow voters to use the first debate to decide who is best for the country moving forward.
“Thursday’s debate will be one of the first moments of this presidential campaign where a larger slice of the American electorate will have the opportunity to witness the stark choice between Joe Biden, who is fighting for the American people, and Donald Trump, who is fighting for himself as a convicted felon with an unhinged campaign of revenge and retribution,” Biden campaign communications director Michael Tyler wrote in a memo.
NewsNation’s Jackie Koppell contributed to this report
