President Biden is undergoing his annual physical Wednesday at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, the White House announced.
“I’m going to Walter Reed to get my physical,” Mr. Biden told reporters as he left the White House.
At 81, Mr. Biden is the oldest sitting president. He last received his physical in February 2023, and results were released on the same day of his exam through a letter from his physician.
The White House doctor, Kevin O’Connor, described Mr. Biden at that time as a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old-man … fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”
Dr. O’Connor did note that Mr. Biden’s gait stiffened compared with the previous year because of “wear and tear” on the spine, but it didn’t warrant specific treatment.
The president also had a small skin lesion removed from his chest, and a biopsy confirmed it was basal cell carcinoma, a form of skin cancer. It was treated successfully, according to Dr. O’Connor.
The president didn’t undergo a cognitive test last year, something Republican lawmakers have demanded after special counsel Robert Hur raised fresh questions about the president’s memory in a report detailing his probe into how classified documents turned up at Mr. Biden’s house.
The Hur report described the president as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” It also said Mr. Biden couldn’t remember when he was vice president or when his son died.
Polls have repeatedly shown that Mr. Biden’s age is a liability heading into the November election. Most Americans say he’s declined mentally and physically.
A Quinnipiac University poll published last week revealed that 67% of voters think Mr. Biden is “too old to effectively serve” another four-year term as president.
If Mr. Biden completes a second term, he would be 86 when it ends.
The White House has dismissed the idea of a cognitive exam, with press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre telling reporters that Dr. O’Connor said a cognitive test wasn’t warranted.
“The president proves every day how he operates, how he thinks,” she said this month. “That is how Dr. O’Connor sees it.”
• Jeff Mordock can be reached at jmordock@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.