President Joe Biden will have his annual physical in coming months, the White House promised Tuesday when asked about the octogenarian’s current state of health.
Biden, who turned 80 over the past weekend, is “in good health and maintains an active lifestyle,” White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre assured a press briefing.
The president’s annual physical, last held in November 2021, will be repeated in “the upcoming months and the results will be released in the same way that it was last year,” she said of the man who has become the first White House octogenarian.
The White House released a six-page letter from physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor 12 months ago, providing details of Biden’s medical condition, calling him “fit for duty” after initial confusion over the scheduling of the procedure.
That report set out Biden had been experiencing an increase in throat-clearing attributed to acid reflux and more issues with his “ambulatory gait.”
O’Connor has provided updates since then as the president worked through symptoms when contracting coronavirus and experiencing a rebound case even as some previously questioned Biden’s ability to fully discharge his duties.
Jean-Pierre addressed a follow-up question on whether Biden would release the information before he makes his future political plans known.
Biden told Al Sharpton in a private conversation last month he will seek a second term in office and run for president again in 2024.
U.S. President Joe Biden chats with soldiers and their families during the Friendsgiving dinner with servicemembers and military families at the Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point one day after his 80th birthday in Havelock, NC, on November 21, 2022. (Peter Zay/Anadolu Agency via Getty)
Sharpton was one of the first to know about Biden’s 2020 presidential run.
As for his current health, no date has been set for a check-up.
“I don’t have a timeline for you. We are going to provide the information just as currently, as we did last last year, this time around as well. And it will be happening in the next couple of months,” Jean-Pierre added.
In July efforts by the media to question Biden directly about his health were abruptly ended when officials cut a live stream camera feed, as Breitbart News reported.
Staff cut short audio and video of the live-streamed event after reporters started shouting questions, asking him how he was feeling after getting infected with the coronavirus.
The president flashed a thumbs up before the feed was cut.