US election 2020:Trump challenges Biden to drug test ahead of debate
The president gives no evidence for the implied accusation against his rival, who he is trailing significantly in opinion polls.
Thursday 27 August 2020 19:13, UK
Donald Trump has called for himself and Joe Biden to take a drug test ahead of their first debate.
The president claimed he was suspicious of his rival's "sudden" improvement during a debate against Bernie Sanders, who Mr Biden beat to become the Democrats' presidential nominee.
"I don't know how he could have been so incompetent in his debate performances and then all of a sudden be OK against Bernie," Mr Trump - who is trailing Mr Biden by an average of eight per cent in opinion polls - told the Washington Examiner.
"My point is, if you go back and watch some of those numerous debates, he was so bad.
"He wasn't even coherent. And against Bernie, he was. And we're calling for a drug test."
Mr Trump gave no evidence for his implied accusation, but suggested it was legitimate because he was "pretty good at this stuff... I look".
He likened the televised debate to a "prizefight".
"It's no different from the gladiators, except we have to use our brain and our mouth. And our body to stand. I want all standing; they want to sit down," he added.
The first Trump-Biden debate of the campaign will be held on 29 September at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio.
Mr Trump has not said when he would request he and Mr Biden take a drug test before the debate - and also said he was not sure if "they'll let me do it".
In 2016, Mr Trump called on then-Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to take a drug test before their third debate.
The test did not happen.