President Joe Biden’s personal doctor since 2009, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, has revealed that the president is physically healthy and mentally vigorous after his annual physical examination at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Thursday. O’Connor said Biden maybe 80 years old and the oldest American president, but he is “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.”
The doctor said the result of Biden’s routine checkup is not much different from the result obtained last year. He said the president contracted COVID-19 in 2021 and fully recovered and does not experience any lingering symptoms that could be regarded as “long covid.” He also said a tiny lesion was removed from the president’s chest and this was sent for biopsy as part of tests for routine skin cancer.
O’Connor also stated that Biden does not have any signs of Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, or stroke after undergoing an “extremely detailed neurologic exam.” But he was treated for a type of irregular heartbeat known as non-valvular atrial fibrillation, high cholesterol, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, and spinal arthritis. He is said to take three prescription drugs and two over-the-counter medicines to treat the conditions.
Dr. O’Connor in a six-page document said that Biden is 6 feet tall and weighs 178 pounds, works out five times per week, does not drink alcohol or use any tobacco product, and has a normal blood assessment. He added that the stiffened gait of the president is a result of wear and tear in his spine and is reflective of people his age.
“The President’s gait remains stiff, but has not worsened since last year,” he said. “Examination this year was unchanged, with the exception of possibly tighter hamstrings and calves.”
And Biden has a characteristic way of responding to questions about his age. “They’ve been saying this about my age since I began to run,” he would say. “You can come work out with me in the morning. I think people have to just watch me.”
The opposition has always seized upon the 80-year age of the president to attack his physical and mental health. Given expectations that Biden will be contesting for re-election, his critics said he will be 82 at the beginning of his second term and 86 by the time he completes his second term in office. A Republican presidential hopeful, Nikki Haley, harped that anyone above the age of 75 should no longer be allowed to run for the presidency.
Former President Donald Trump is 76. He called Biden “Sleepy Joe.”
“The job of the presidency is a very demanding, stressful job,” Haley stated. “We must ensure our leader is physically mentally and emotionally capable, especially when it comes to, decisions, regarding life and death and the overall health, safety, and well-being of our nation.”