Eighty-year-old President Joe Biden has been declared healthy and “fit for duty” after a physical examination this week, which included removing lesions from his chest.
White House physician Kevin O’Connor said in a summary of the health exam that the president “remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.”
“One small lesion on the president’s chest was excised today and sent for traditional biopsy,” O’Connor said, according to Reuters.
The summary also said that the president does not appear to be experiencing symptoms associated with “long COVID” and that his stiff gait has not worsened since his November 2021 exam.
During his recent physical, the president had several small skin growths removed from his face and head using liquid nitrogen.
Per Reuters:
The exam was closely watched as Biden prepares for his expected run for a second term in 2024. The summary said Biden did not have any “long COVID” symptoms and that his stiff gait has not worsened since his last exam in November 2021.
Biden takes the statin Crestor to keep his cholesterol levels low, an anti-coagulant in response to atrial fibrillation that remains asymptomatic and medication to treaty seasonal allergies and acid reflux, the summary said.
The summary found that Biden’s weight had dropped six pounds, from 184 pounds in 2021 to 178. His body mass index was at 24.1 compared to 25.0 in 2021, and his blood pressure was at 126/78 compared to 120/70 in 2021.
The exam did not include a cognitive test for the president. Cognition has increasingly become a cause for concern among Democrats and Republicans as he approaches announcing his 2024 candidacy. Should he ultimately run and secure a second term, he will not only be the oldest president in U.S. history but the oldest president in U.S. history to serve two consecutive terms.
“This is a president that works day in and day out, you know, in a grueling fashion with a grueling schedule, and delivers,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll recently found that “three-quarters of Americans – including more than half of Democrats and the vast majority of Republicans – say Biden is too old to work in government.”
“Most Democratic respondents said the president remains mentally sharp but about half of them said he cannot handle the physical toll of the presidency,” the poll noted.
