Biden undergoes annual physical exam

President Joe Biden traveled to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday to undergo his yearly physical exam.

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Biden left for his exam around 9 a.m. ET. White House officials said they will release a written summary of his physical later in the day.

Biden’s doctor releases health summary

Update 5:34 p.m. EST Feb. 28: White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre released a letter from Kevin O’Connor, the physician who examined President Joe Biden on Wednesday.

O’Connor characterized Biden as “an active 81-year-old male” who was being treated for obstructive sleep apnea. He added that there were “no new concerns” about the president’s health.

“The President feels well and this year’s physical identified no new concerns. He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations,” O’Connor wrote.

-- Bob D’Angelo, Cox Media Group

Biden’s doctor, neurologist determined no cognitive test needed Wednesday

Update 3:40 p.m. EST Feb. 28: The president’s personal doctor and a neurologist determined Wednesday that no cognitive test was needed as part of Biden’s routine physical, White House officials said.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters that the report from the president’s physician will be “robust and comprehensive” and address the rationale for declining to do a cognitive test.

“He did this with a team — a team of 20, 20 doctors who participated in completing the president’s physical at Walter Reed. So, it wasn’t just him,” she said. “There were specialists who were part of this as well.”

She emphasized that Biden “is able to do the work everyday” as president, saying that such work is “more rigorous than it would be for any 15-minute clinical appointment.”

Original report: The 81-year-old president last underwent a routine exam on Feb. 16, 2023, after which his physician described him as “a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency.”

The health update is expected to be the last before voters head to the polls in November for the presidential election. It comes amid ongoing scrutiny of the president’s health and his age. Before Biden, President Ronald Reagan was the oldest person to lead the country, leaving the White House in 1989, when he was 77 years old. If Biden is elected to a second term, he will be 86 by the time he leaves office.

A poll released last week by Quinnipiac University showed that 67% of voters think Biden is too old to serve another 4-year term in office. Meanwhile, 41% of voters think that Biden’s likely Republican challenger, former President Donald Trump, is too old.

Biden recently addressed concerns about his age after the Justice Department released a report from special counsel Robert Hur that questioned his ability to recall events.

“I am well-meaning, and I’m an elderly man, and I know what the hell I’m doing,” he said during a news conference on Feb. 8. “I’ve been president. I put this country back on its feet.”

He added that his memory was fine.

“Take a look at what I’ve done since I’ve become president,” he said. “None of you thought I could pass any of the things I got passed. How did that happen?”

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