Ronald Reagan’s daughter supports cognitive testing of presidential candidates

As the nation grapples with the complexities of selecting its leaders, the issue of cognitive fitness is poised to remain a topic of considerable importance, particularly since age is a prominent factor in the upcoming presidential election.

Patti Davis, the daughter of former President Ronald Reagan and his second wife, Nancy, is advocating for mandatory cognitive testing to allow voters to judge the fitness of presidential candidates.

Davis’s endorsement of such testing comes in the wake of concerns about her father’s mental state during his presidency, particularly in light of his later Alzheimer’s diagnosis.

Appearing on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Davis addressed her father’s record as the oldest elected president, a distinction he held until being surpassed by both Donald Trump and Joe Biden. She changed her last name to her mother’s maiden name, Davis, to have an independent career as an actress and author.

When Reagan won in 1980 at the age of 69, he was the oldest person ever to be elected president, Davis, told Meet the Press that cognitive tests would be a “good idea.”

Reflecting on Reagan’s presidency and his subsequent Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Davis remarked, “Just what we know about what age can do – it doesn’t always do that – but it would probably be a good idea.”

Reagan was 77 years old when he left office, a fact that Davis highlighted by stating, “That seems so young now, doesn’t it?”

After departing the White House, Reagan announced his Alzheimer’s diagnosis at the age of 83.

Davis expressed her belief that her father would be appalled by the current political climate and “really scared for our democracy.”

Davis’s perspective carries weight due to her unique vantage point, having witnessed both her father’s presidency and his later struggles with cognitive decline.

As a vocal critic of both major political parties, her endorsement of cognitive testing adds credibility to the ongoing discussion.

Throughout the Reagan years, Davis openly criticized her father’s foreign and domestic policies, spoke at peace rallies, and refused to live in the White House.

She was active in the anti-nuclear movement before her father was elected president, and remained active through his term, stirring controversy and creating strife in the family. She has been a critic of the Republican Party, with which she has never been affiliated.

Although Davis adamantly opposed her father’s politics, she refused to vote in either of her father’s elections, telling Playboy magazine in 1994, “I didn’t have the balls to go against my father. Looking back on it, I should have done it differently. But back then I just chickened out.”

After the synagogue shooting in Pittsburgh in October 2018, Davis accused Trump of failing to provide solace to the nation in times of tragedy: “Let’s stop asking him!”

Davis slammed Trump in a December 2019 Washington Post op-ed after he mocked Michigan congresswoman Debbie Dingell, whose husband — the late Democratic congressman John D. Dingell — died in February 2019.

“Being publicly attacked is a disorienting experience, one I am unfortunately familiar with,” Davis wrote. “Maybe some of those in his audience on Wednesday finally began to perceive that his cruelty is limitless, his sense of decency nonexistent.”

While Davis did not endorse a candidate, her comments have raised questions about the necessity of cognitive assessments for presidential hopefuls.

If such testing were to be implemented, questions arise about the form it would take and who would determine its validity.

There may be a delicate balance to be struck between concerns about mental fitness that accompany advanced age and respect for individual rights, but the immense power of the presidency makes it reasonable for candidates to sacrifice their privacy in exchange for the privilege of holding that office.

Davis joined Meet the Press to talk about her father’s legacy and her book “Dear Mom and Dad,” in which she reintroduces America to her parents.

In October 2021, she expressed her disdain for John Hinckley Jr. being fully released in June 2022. Hinckley was found not guilty because of insanity following the 1981 assassination attempt on her father and remained under institutional psychiatric care for over three decades