WASHINGTON (AFP) – USA President Joe Biden’s doctor on Thursday deemed him “fit for duty” following the last of his yearly physicals before he is anticipated to announce his candidacy for re-election in 2024, when he will be 82.
After rigorous testing, the much anticipated report revealed some relatively minor concerns but concluded that Biden was free of major physical and neurological conditions.
In a letter made public by the White House, Biden’s doctor, Kevin O’Connor, stated: “President Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those of as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.”
“The President remains fit for duty, and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations,” it further reads.
In the morning, Biden, the oldest president of the United States, finished the physicals he started in 2022 at the Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, a facility in the suburbs of Washington, that includes a presidential facility.
Although the campaign had already begun to heat up, he had not yet announced his intention to run for reelection.
After two years in which he guided the nation beyond the COVID-19 pandemic, brought an end to the US war in Afghanistan, and rallied Western nations against Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Biden is expected to run on his heavyweight political record.
Yet during the campaign, concerns about his age and ongoing Republican allegations that he is mentally unfit will probably be a big theme.
Former president Donald Trump, whom Biden defeated in the contentious 2020 election, is currently the front-runner on the GOP side.
Joe Biden age dilemma
Despite being routine, Biden’s physical on Thursday was closely watched.
Democratic leaders have vowed to support Biden if he runs again, but polls indicate that their supporters are not particularly enthusiastic about it.
Republican Nikki Haley, 51, who has just entered the 2024 race, demanded on Wednesday that all elected officials over 75 undergo mental fitness tests. That would also include Trump, 76, who she worked for as UN ambassador.
When questioned about the issu of age in interviews, Biden cited his accomplishments while serving as president and simply answered, “Watch me.”
While under general anaesthesia for a colonoscopy during his most recent check-up, Vice President Kamala Harris became the first woman in US history to temporarily hold the office of president for an hour and 25 minutes.
