WASHINGTON — President Biden will have his annual physical on Feb. 16, the White House said Wednesday — after promising the checkup would be completed by the end of January.
When reporters asked for an update on when the exam would be held on January 20, White House press secretary Karen Jean-Pierre replied: “He will have an exam by the end of this month — before that. “
An administration official said in a statement that the delay was “a matter of scheduling around a busy and evolving travel schedule in recent weeks.”
The findings “will be released publicly like last year,” the official added, apparently meaning presidential physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor will issue a report — but not answer reporters’ questions. . O’Connor has never been allowed to give live briefings to reporters, including when Biden was treated for COVID-19 last year.
It is unclear whether the 80-year-old president, who regularly shares false or embellished memories, will take the cognitive test.
Biden is preparing to launch a 2024 re-election campaign and would be 86 if he completes a full second term — raising the stakes for the checkup at Maryland’s Walter Reed Medical Center.
Biden is the oldest US president ever and his mental acuity is often the subject of debate – especially when he asked “Where’s Jackie at?” As he sought out the late Rep. Jackie Walworski (R-Ind.) in September, despite publicly mourning her death and even calling her family in August to offer condolences. .
The president’s most recent physical was in November 2021 and involved a colonoscopy using anesthesia that required Biden to hand over presidential powers to Vice President Kamala Harris for 85 minutes.
O’Connor Issued a six-page report. Giving Biden a relatively clean bill of health after that test.
The doctor wrote that he investigated Biden’s “noticeably stiff” gait and his “increasing frequency and severity of ‘clearing throat’ and coughing during speaking engagements, but found nothing of concern.”
“The combination of significant spinal arthritis, post-fracture ‘limp and compensation’ and mild sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet explained the subtle changes in gait that I was investigating,” O’Connor wrote. Connor wrote.
A foot fracture “healed well” after he pulled his then-dog Major’s tail after a shower in late 2020, according to the report.
Former President Donald Trump, 76, is also running for re-election in 2024, although he may reportedly be much older.
Unlike Biden, Trump allowed his then-physician, Dr. Ronny Jackson, to answer the reporter’s questions. About an hour In 2018 – though Jackson, now a Republican congressman from Texas, stunned reporters by claiming that Trump could live to be “200 years old” if he had a better diet.
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