RFK Jr. calls on President Biden to show he has the ‘cognitive capacity’ and ‘mental acuity’ to lead

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RFK Jr: Biden needs to show he has the mental acuity to handle his job

Exclusive: 2024 presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. sits down with 'The Story's' Martha MacCallum to discuss his election bid.

Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. called on President Biden Wednesday to show the American people he has the "cognitive capacity" and "mental acuity" to lead the nation for another four-year term. 

"I think he [Biden] needs to come out of the White House and show Americans that he has the cognitive capacity, to, and the mental acuity, to handle this job at probably the most challenging time now, at least in recent American history," RFK Jr. told "The Story."

"We're facing issues that are existential. We're involved in two wars. We have AI coming down, which is going to change everything, and there's enormous dangers in it," he continued. "We need a...we have an economic crisis in this country where, you know, the middle class is disappearing. It's been torpedoed. Where 57% of Americans can't put their hands on $1,000; where an entire generation of kids cannot buy a home. This is a crisis."

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"We need a president who is thinking about these things, who is articulating a solution for the American people." 

 Independent Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. speaks during a campaign rally at Legends Event Center on December 20, 2023 in Phoenix, Arizona. ((Photo by Rebecca Noble/Getty Images))

RFK Jr. reiterated that Biden needs to show he can be a president who is capable of making decisions based on "complex and nuanced thought." 

"And those thoughts need to be articulated to the American people in a way that we all support him. And I do not think that that's happening now. Our children's lives are dependent on that 3:00 a.m. call, and we need to know that we have a president who can wake up in the middle of the night and who is on his feet and thinking about those things, and I... think a lot of Americans have lost confidence in that," he explained.

Fox News’ Martha MacCallum asked the 2024 presidential candidate if he believes Biden is in charge. 

RFK Jr. premised his response by saying he has a personal issue with the president because his request for Secret Service protection was denied in June. The nephew of former President John F. Kennedy noted that he has known Biden for 40 years and considered him a friend with a "kind of fundamental decency." 

"And the fact, I just don't believe that he would have personally made the decision to deny me Secret Service protection. I think somebody else is making those decisions," he suggested. 

Members of the US Secret Service stand by the Presidential limousines as US President Joe Biden disembarks from Air Force One upon arrival at Raleigh-Durham International Airport in Morrisville, North Carolina, on January 18, 2024. ((Photo by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images))

The United States Secret Service says it only affords protection to "major" presidential and vice presidential candidates within 120 days from a general election. 

RFK Jr. switched from running as a 2024 Democratic presidential candidate to a 2024 Independent presidential candidate last October. 

He has qualified to have his name appear on the ballot in Utah. Kennedy’s campaign also said he had collected the necessary signatures to be on the ballot in New Hampshire and Hawaii.

Additionally, a super PAC supporting RFK Jr. announced earlier this week that it also had collected enough signatures for his name to appear on ballots in Arizona and Georgia. 

 A view of pamphlets during Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. hosts a fireside chat with rapper and producer Eric B. at The Gentleman's Factory on February 18, 2024 in New York City. ((Photo by John Nacion/Getty Images))

The PAC, American Values 2024, said it is working to achieve ballot access in all 50 states, including Washington, D.C. However, it is prioritizing 10 states: Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, and Texas, and South Carolina. 

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"We're going to be announcing new states every week from now on. We're way ahead of our benchmarks. We will be on the ballot in 50 states and the District of Columbia. We have, I think we have 80,000 volunteers now on the ground. We're finding it extraordinarily easy, actually, to persuade people to sign. And we're ahead of all of our expectations," RFK Jr. told "The Story." 

He added that he hopes his White House bid will be a spoiler for both Biden and former President Trump come November. "I hope to take votes from each of them and win the election," he said. 

Former President Donald Trump, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., and President Joe Biden. (Getty Images)

"So you don't consider yourself a spoiler?" MacCallum asked.

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"No, I'm not in here to do anything except to win," RFK Jr. responded.