Joe Biden is the oldest person to become US President. (file)
Washington:
President Joe Biden was declared “fit for duty” by his doctor on Thursday after a final annual medical check-up before he is expected to announce his run for re-election in 2024, when he is 82. Will be
The eagerly-awaited report after extensive testing found some relatively minor issues, but said Biden was free of serious physical and neurological problems.
Biden’s physician, Kevin O, said, “President Biden remains a healthy, energetic, 80-year-old man who is fit to successfully perform the duties of the presidency as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief.” ” ‘Connor, said in a letter published by the White House.
“The President remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without exemptions or accommodations.”
The oldest person ever to serve as US president, Biden spent the morning completing a series of tests he started last year at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a complex with a presidential facility in the Washington suburbs. Was.
He has not declared re-election but is widely expected to do so soon, with the campaign heating up. On the Republican side, the frontrunner so far is former President Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in a highly contested 2020 election.
Biden is likely to build on his stellar political record after two years in which he steered the country through the Covid pandemic, ended the US war in Afghanistan and rallied Western nations to oppose Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
However, questions about his age and persistent Republican insinuations that he is mentally incapacitated are likely to be a major through-line during the campaign.
healthy habits
O’Connor’s letter painted a largely glowing picture of a president who benefits from healthy living habits.
“The President does not use any tobacco products, does not drink alcohol, and continues to work at least five days a week,” the letter said.
Biden measures six feet (1.83 m) and weighs 178 pounds (about 80.7 kg).
The report noted that Biden contracted COVID-19 in 2022 and then had a rebound infection, but noted that he had been vaccinated and that the exacerbated symptoms were mild and that he “did not experience any residual symptoms.” Has done what can be considered a ‘long Covid’.”
The two issues noted in the previous annual exam in November 2021 remained mostly unchanged, O’Connor said.
One is gastroesophageal reflux which causes him to cough frequently, and the other is stiffness in walking due to “wear and tear” in his spine.
O’Connor said, “The president’s tactic remains harsh, but hasn’t worsened since last year.”
The doctor reported that “an extremely detailed neurological examination was again reassuring that there were no findings that were consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis.”
Referring to Biden’s spending “a good time in the sun in his youth,” O’Connor wrote that the president has been regularly treated to remove localized, non-melanoma skin cancer.
“A small lesion on the President’s chest was excised today and sent for conventional biopsy,” he said.
Does age matter?
As usual, Thursday’s physical was closely watched, with Democratic leaders insisting they would stand behind Biden if he ran again, but polling showed little enthusiasm among his voters.
A Reuters/Ipsos poll in February found that more than half of Democrats believe Biden is too old to lead.
Nikki Haley, a 51-year-old Republican who just entered the 2024 race, called Wednesday for mental fitness testing of any elected official over the age of 75. It would also apply to Trump, 76, under whom he served as ambassador to the United Nations.
Asked in the interview about the age factor, Biden points to his achievements in office and says: “Look at me.”
During Biden’s final checkup, he underwent a colonoscopy under general anesthesia and transferred his powers to Vice President Kamala Harris for an hour and 25 minutes, making her the first woman in US history to serve briefly as acting president. Became
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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