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Tucker Carlson claims that witness from 2020 campaign says Biden took 'pills' under wife Jill's supervision before every public appearance and was 'like a child' without the medication
Carlson made the allegation during a monologue on his show Friday night
Claimed a witness saw Biden take cognitive enhancer drugs during campaign
Biden, 79, has strenuously rejected similar allegations in the past
His White House medical report lists no cognitive medications or mental issues
Still, Biden's age and fitness are increasingly topics even among Democrats
Fox News host Tucker Carlson has claimed that President Joe Biden takes 'pills' to boost his cognitive performance before public appearances.
Biden, 79, has strenuously rejected similar allegations in the past, but Carlson claimed on his Friday evening show that he had spoken 'directly' to a witness who saw the alleged medication on the 2020 campaign trail.
'His staff, supervised by Dr. Jill, his wife, was giving him pills before every public appearance. Checking the time, and at the certain hour giving him a dose of something,' said Carlson.
'Before taking the medications, this person said Biden was 'Like a small child.' You could not communicate with him, he changed completely because he was on drugs and he clearly still is on drugs,' the pundit alleged.
Fox News host Tucker Carlson (above) has claimed that President Joe Biden takes 'pills' to boost his cognitive performance before public appearances
Biden is seen on the campaign trail in Iowa in 2019. He has strenuously denied claims that he takes any cognitive boosters, and his medical report lists no such drugs
Carlson's unproven allegation came during a lengthy monologue in which he argued that Biden is 'incapacitated' and suffering from 'dementia.'
A White House spokesperson did not immediately respond to an inquiry from DailyMail.com late on Friday.
List of Biden's medications
The White House physician's medical report on Biden does not mention any cognitive issues, and only lists the following medications:
Eliquis (Apixaban): Blood thinner for irregular heart beat
Crestor (Rosuvastatin): For high cholesterol
Dymista (Fluticasone/azelastine): Nasal spray for allergies
Allegra (Fexofenadine): Over the counter for seasonal allergies
Pepsid (Famotidine): Over the counter for acid reflux
According to the latest report from his White House doctor, Biden takes prescription medication for an irregular heartbeat, high cholesterol, and seasonal allergies.
None of those medications are considered cognitive enhancers.
White House Physician Kevin C. O'Connor did not mention any cognitive issues in the November report, and wrote that Biden 'is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.'
In the 2020 primary campaign, Biden managed to prevail over a crowded Democratic field.
He stumbled in some debates, but many critics wrote that he improved as the debates wore on. His rivals ended up endorsing him en masse after they were defeated.
Nevertheless, Biden has a lifelong history of verbal gaffes, and as he approaches 80, even some Democratic strategists have begun to question whether he should seek re-election.
If re-elected, Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term.
Carlson, a fierce critic of the Biden administration, is not the only Republican to accuse Biden of using cognitive enhancing drugs.
During the 2020 campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly leveled the claim, without evidence, that Biden is on drugs, saying in one in interview: 'that's what I hear.'
Carlson claimed that the First Lady supervised Biden's medication, though he may have been making a mocking reference to her use of the Dr. prefix, which refers to her Ed.D degree
Trump, who also accused Biden of taking drugs, once repeated the words 'person, woman, man, camera, TV' several times as a demonstration of his mental acuity
'It is probably, possibly drugs involved. That's what I hear,' Trump said in September 2020, weeks before Biden won the presidential election.
'I mean there's possibly drugs. I don't know how you can go from being so bad where you can't even get out a sentence,' Trump continued.
Trump, now 76, also faced questions about his mental fitness on the 2020 campaign trail.
In one memorable television interview, he repeated the words 'person, woman, man, camera, TV' several times as a demonstration of his mental acuity.
Carlson's allegation about Biden's fitness comes as the president takes a four-day tour of the Middle East, with stops in Israel and Saudi Arabia.
The trip was originally meant to be rolled in with a visit to Europe last month, but the New York Times reported that the resulting 10-day schedule might be unnecessarily taxing for Biden -- or 'crazy,' as one official told the outlet.
Biden is seen on Friday laughing at a question from a DailyMail.com reporter, who asked him about his fist bump with Saudi Crown Prince MBS. White House insiders say Biden remains 'intellectually engaged' but they also 'quietly watch out for him'
Biden recently fell off his bike during a ride near his beach house in Delaware and then hopped around in an effort to prove he wasn't injured in the accident
Staffers told the Times they find themselves holding their breath during Biden's speaking engagements to see if he makes it to the end without a blunder.
His presidency has seen several gaffes during events, including a recent one when he appeared to read speaking instructions off of his teleprompter.
Last month, he fell off his bike during a ride near his beach house in Delaware and then hopped around in an effort to prove he wasn't injured in the accident.
The Times reported that staffers cringed over the coverage the bike fall story received, but said many insisted the president remains sharp and inquisitive.
Aides allege Biden's health is a 'sensitive topic' throughout the White House.
Various groups in Germany are now wrestling over what organisations, individuals and industries will be allowed to use the last scraps of gas left in the country.
As Russia completely turns off its supply of natural gas to Germany — for planned annual maintenance — which some fear will never be reversed, groups and politicians in the country have begun fighting it out to see what individuals, organisations and industries will be allowed to use the last scraps of the country’s energy supply.
Robert Habeck has previously stated that private citizens would be prioritised should the ongoing gas crisis get so bad that not all consumers would be supplied, with the minister saying that he would shut down industry to ensure people can still heat their homes over the winter.
However, at least one German industry group is now challenging this decision, with the country’s Chemical Industry Association (VCI) demanding that businesses be prioritised over consumers.
“What’s the point if households could continue to get gas but could no longer pay for it?” Der Spiegelreports association head Christian Kullmann as saying, who argued that it was “more important for society than completely ensuring private gas supplies”.
Economic and Climate Action Minister Robert Habeck appears to have been won over to Kullman’s side, with the Green party politician now saying that he wants private dwellings to “do their share” during the crisis due to the effects cutting off industry would have in the long term.
While Habeck and Kullman appear to be convinced that businesses and industry should get a sizable share of Germany’s last dribbles of gas, others within the German political sphere do not seem nearly as convinced.
For example, Saskia Esken, who heads up the ruling Social Democratic Party of Germany, has said that she wants private households, as well as the likes of schools and other core public amenities, to be prioritised in the event that there is not enough gas to go around.
“Private households and system-relevant facilities must clearly have priority in a gas shortage,” the party leader reportedly said, while also emphasising that she believed the problem is limited to gas only, and that there will be no power outages in Germany.
How the UK heatwave could pave the way for more BRITISH wines: Longer periods of warmth caused by climate change could create perfect conditions for new varieties - including Burgundy and Baden-style red wines
Climate change and hotter temperatures is increasing the potential for UK wine production, new study shows
Winegrowing has expanded nearly 400 per cent between 2004 and 2021, from 761 to 3,800 hectares, it says
MailOnline has spoken to scientists, wine experts and landowners about the future of the viticulture industry
If you're struggling to cope during the current UK heatwave, rest assured that there's set to be at least one positive outcome – more homegrown wine.
According to experts, warmer temperatures brought on by climate change are having a positive impact on the English wine industry, by boosting yields and suiting a greater number of grape varieties.
In the UK, viticulture – the cultivation, protection, and harvest of grapes outdoors – has expanded nearly 400 per cent between 2004 and 2021, from 761 to 3,800 hectares, a new study shows.
But climate change will likely keep boosting the potential for UK wine production, with conditions projected to resemble those in mainland Europe, experts say.
Rising temperatures could create perfect conditions for red wines like those from Burgundy in France and Baden in Germany.
Currently, successful British wineries are concentrated around southern England, especially counties like Sussex, Hampshire and Kent, and tend to focus on sparkling wines.
Given time, areas could even rival the Champagne region of France for quality and reputation, meaning bottles of 'Sussex' or 'Kent' could soon be favourite tipples at weddings and graduation ceremonies.
Currently, Sussex, Surrey and Kent are the most 'fashionable' English counties for viticulture, but there's also interest in Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk and other parts of East Anglia
Warmer temperatures brought on by climate change are having a positive impact on the English wine industry, researchers say. Currently, the most successful type of English wine is sparkling, and this is because of the chalk limestone soils of Sussex and Kent, which are similar to the soils of northern France. Pictured, a vineyard in Sussex, England
ENGLISH WINERIES
- Chapel Down (Kent)
- Simpsons (Kent)
- Hoffmann & Rathbone (East Sussex)
- Rathfinny Wine Estate (East Sussex)
- Nyetimber (West Sussex)
- Wiston Estate (West Sussex)
- Roebuck Estate (West Sussex)
- Blackdown Ridge (West Sussex)
- Tinwood Estate (West Sussex)
- Crouch Ridge (Essex)
- Setley Ridge (Hampshire)
- Exton Park (Hampshire)
Tom Harrow, an English wine merchant and writer, told MailOnline that weather conditions during the current heatwave are 'great for the grapes'.
Temperatures could push past 95°F (35°C) in south-east England this week, where some of the most successful vineries are currently based.
'This is setting us up for a potentially really good harvest,' Harrow said. 'English wine makers will be pretty positive about the way this year is shaping up.
'As the weather improves – which is a very English way of saying "as the climate disintegrates" – there is more and more wine being made further and further afield.
'The wine scene is pushing further north as the summers get longer, we get more sunlight hours.'
In the last few years, the most successful type of English wine has proved to be sparkling, and this is partly because of the chalk limestone soils of Sussex and Kent, which are similar to the soils of northern France.
But sparkling also mostly uses three grape varieties – Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier – that grow better in warmer temperatures and don't need to ripen for as long to produce a high-quality sparkling wine.
These three varieties now account for some 75 per cent of hectarage planted in Britain, according to trade body WineGB.
Steve Dorling, a professor of meteorology at University of East Anglia (UEA) in Norwich, is one of the authors of a new study in OENO One.
'We've seen a rapid transition to these varieties over the last 10-15 years, partly because the warming climate suits them and partly because, together, they can be blended to produce a highly marketable sparkling wine style,' he told MailOnline.
Professor Dorling also said longer periods of warmth in the upcoming years will suit the creation of still wines as well, because still wines require grapes that have ripened for longer periods of time.
'Grapes that are used for popular still red wine production until recently we just haven't had a warm enough climate to ripen those red grape varieties sufficiently to produce something that’s of high quality.
Pinot Noir grapes (pictured) can be grown for still red wine production, but up until now in England they've primarily been used for sparkling white or sparkling rosé. Pinot Noir are used for making red and white wine. Using the skins in production will lead to a red wine; using just the greenish yellow of Pinot Noir will lead to a white wine
CLIMATE AND VITICULTURE
It's already known that changes in temperature affect grape ripeness, leading to differences between sweet and acidic flavours.
In warm regions such as Southern France, California, and Australia, gradual transitions between seasons allow grapes to ripen fully, losing more natural acidity to produce sweeter, fruitier flavours.
On the other hand, sudden shifts in temperature from summer to autumn mean that colder regions like Northern France, South Africa, and the UK produce more tart and acidic wines.
'So the key point here is that the warming climate is suddenly making it possible for pretty much the first time to produce a still red wine that is high quality and marketable.'
At the moment, Pinot Noir is still predominantly grown in England and Wales for sparkling wine production, rather than still.
This is because achieving adequate ripeness levels for high-quality still red wine has historically only been possible in a few locations, in exceptionally warm years such as 2018.
Professor Dorling said 2018's heatwave led to a record grape harvest and a vintage year for English and Welsh wine.
Warm, dry UK growing seasons like 2018, with lower than average disease problems in the vines, led to production of a record-breaking 15.6 million bottles.
'These growing conditions have already become and are projected to become more common,' Professor Dorling said.
Rising temperatures will also suit the growth of varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, Semillon and more disease-resistant varieties, which are hardly grown in the UK at present.
Before 2004, the dominant grape varieties grown in the UK were cooler-climate tolerant varieties including Reichensteiner, which is mainly grown in Germany.
'We had a habit of making grapes in a very borderline climate; the only grapes that worked were these Germanic varieties,' Harrow said.
'Largely, wines weren't very good because they were made from these unexciting, high acid, low taste, not really interesting varieties.'
Chapel Down has vineyards located in the Kent countryside, close to the market town of Tenterden in the borough of Ashford
In the last two decades, the growth in UK vineyard numbers has occurred, alongside an increase in growing season temperatures. This graph from the study shows UK vineyard numbers, total hectarage and national wine yield between 2004 and 2021
Currently, some of the most renowned English wineries include Wiston Estate in Pulborough in West Sussex, specialising in sparkling white and rosé, and Chapel Down, which has a Chardonnay created from a vineyard in Aylesford, Kent.
Meanwhile, Roebuck Estate in West Sussex and Simpsons in Kent have both won 'best in show' for wines at the Decanter World Wine Awards, which describes itself as 'the world's largest and most influential wine competition'.
THE NEW STUDY
For Professor Dorling's new study, his team considered how often UK conditions are projected to resemble those seen most recently in famous sparkling and still wine producing regions of France (Champagne and Burgundy) and Germany (Baden).
Since the 1980s, there has already been a warming of over 1.8°F (1°C) during the growing season in much of south-east and eastern England.
'This warming has underpinned the rapid expansion of the UK viticulture sector and its current focus on growing grape varieties for sparkling wine,' they say.
Meanwhile, areas in England and Wales are projected to become warmer by 2040 by up to a further 2.5°F (1.4°C) during the growing season.
Areas in East Anglia, Lincolnshire, south-central England, north-east Wales and coastal areas in south-west England and southern Wales are projected to have the same conditions as 2018 during 2021–2040 in up to 75 per cent of this time period.
Domestically, sales of English and Welsh wines have risen by 69 per cent since 2019 – from 5.5 million bottles in 2019, to 7.1 million in 2020, growing to 9.3 million in 2021, according to WineGB.
But wine sales are also increasing abroad – exports of UK wine doubled from 2018 to 2019 to around 550,000 bottles, WineGB and the Department for International Trade.
English and Welsh wines have proved particularly popular in Scandinavia – especially Norway, where exports jumped by 85 per cent year-on-year in 2021.
Josh Donaghay-Spire, head Winemaker at Chapel Down, told MailOnline the warmer temperature is not the only reason why wine production has shot up.
'We now better understand which varieties to grow, where and how to grow them, and how to get the best from those grapes in the winery,' he said.
'A combination of these factors has led to a rise in the quality and quantity of grapes grown, so to ascribe this change exclusively to warmer temperatures would not do justice to the hard work and skill of our colleagues in the vineyards and winery.'
Tom Harrow also said investment has given a boost to the industry, along with an increased focus on homegrown products generally.
'Given where we are with Brexit and the challenges of imports and exports, the simple expedient of having lovely wines on our doorstep is becoming increasingly attractive,' he told MailOnline.
Currently, Sussex, Surrey and Kent are the most 'fashionable' English counties for starting up a vineyard, but there's also interest in Hampshire, Essex, Suffolk and other parts of East Anglia.
Land buyers are now prepared to pay up to £25,000 an acre for English ground that's suitable for grape growing, according to Sussex land consultants CLM, Matthew Berryman at Sussex-based land consultants CLM, told MailOnline.
'Sussex, Surrey and Kent are often seen as fashionable locations because there are quite a few spots in these counties where the climate, soil and topography are ideal for growing grapes, plus their near-London location is a factor,' he said.
'The south of England is the engine of the English wine industry, but many other counties also have a strong winemaking pedigree.
'Devon and Cornwall, for example, are home to some superb winemakers and, as the climate has changed, so ever-more commercial vineyards have been seen in the Midlands and the North of England, including North Yorkshire.'
Berryman said he sold 85 acres for a vineyard earlier this year, bought with money from China, although over the last 25 years UK land of all types has been bought for various uses by buyers from Europe, the US, the Middle East and even Russia.
'Viticulture land is always likely to make a hefty premium over arable fields or grazing ground,' he said.
Wiston Estate, a winery in Pulborough, West Sussex, specialises in sparkling white and rosé (pictured). British regions could soon rival the Champagne region of France for quality and reputation, meaning bottles of 'Sussex' or 'Kent' could soon be favourite tipples at weddings and graduation ceremonies
Pictured is Chapel Down English Rose, the brand’s still rosé, which includes Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, and Rondo grapes
Maps from the new UAE study show the location of British vineyards and their size in hectares as of 2019. The biggest vineyards are mostly in Kent and Sussex
Of course, British weather will still be unpredictable, as the 2012 vintage demonstrated when much UK grape production was lost due to a cool and wet flowering period, so English wineries could lose entire harvests in bad years.
'For some vineyards there literally was no production that year,' said Professor Dorling.
'A huge proportion of the grape production literally had to be disposed of because it was so wet and cold around June time that unfortunately that led to a lot of disease and there was not ripening.'
For a British winery, the important thing will be having enough bottles from successful vintages to see them through a bad year, should this happen again – and climate change will likely make this possible.
'That's the holy grail in the industry – being able to cope with the shock – whether that's a climate shock or any other shock – in a particular year,' said Professor Dorling.
Unfortunately, not all countries will benefit from climate change when it comes to wine production – in fact, quite the opposite.
According to a 2020 study, just 3.6°F (2°C) of warming would cut the amount of suitable wine-growing regions globally by as much as 56 per cent.
Wineries overseas, in the Mediterranean region for example, will have to swap their current grape varieties up for more heat-tolerant varieties to keep up yields.
However, climate change will hit already hot regions like Italy and Spain the hardest, which may not have more heat-resistant varieties to trade up to.
