President Joe Biden joined his wife Jill Biden at Walter Reed National Medical Center on Wednesday ahead of a minor skin surgery for the first lady.
The White House said Jill Biden would get Mohs surgical procedure to remove a small lesion above her right eye but did not say whether the president would receive any medical attention during the visit.
Although it appears that Biden traveled with the First Lady to provide moral support, his trip could indicate some sort of medical treatment for the president.
Typically, White House officials keep any medical details of the president from the press, and use seemingly meaningless visits to the hospital to conduct medical procedures outside of the public eye.
The president has not released any details of his annual physical exam even though he said he would get it finished by the end of the year.
Marine One, carrying U.S. President Joe Biden and First Lady Jill Biden, approaches to land at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland on January 11, 2023. Jill Biden, flew from the White House on Wednesday to Walter Reed for a minor surgical procedure to remove a skin lesion. (MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)
“What, do you think I need it?” he joked with reporters just days after his 80th birthday in November.
“I’ve gotten my — I will get — part of my physical is already done, and I’ll be getting it before the end of the year,” he added.
The president is expected to announce soon his final decision on running for reelection in 2024, insisting his physical and mental health are fine, despite demonstrating multiple examples of cognitive decline during his presidency.
“[R]ight now, knock on wood, I don’t want to jinx myself, I’m in good health, all of my – everything physically about me is still functioning well and mentally, too,” Biden said in an interview with MSNBC’s Jonathan Capehart in October.
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