The oldest president in the history of the US had himself medically examined in a routine physical, at Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, which was a very closely watched examination, as he gets ready for a re-run for the presidential election in 2024.
The hospital was in Bethesda, Maryland, where Biden was examined for about three hours, after which he left by helicopter for the White House in the afternoon. The White House would release a letter later on Thursday, US time to discuss the results.
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Biden is 80 years old and had a standard medical exam last in November 2021. During that five and a half hour exam, he went through battery blood, physical, gastrointestinal, dental, vision and neurological tests. Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s primary care physician since 2009, signed a six page memo which declared Biden as “healthy and vigorous” and deemed him “fit to successfully execute the duties of Presidency.”
However the Democrats along with a host of other people have shown reservation about Joe Biden seeking a second term in 2024. According to a recent poll from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research, only 37 percent of Democrats feel Biden should pursue reelection, which is down from 52 percent before last November’s selections. But an overall of 22 percent American adults thought he ought to run again for the Presidential elections.
Biden’s age is considered to be a major concern among people who undertook the interviews in the survey. His coughing coupled with a greater sense of fragility in his walking and the moments when he audibly stammered while speaking in public were consciously noted.
Spinal arthritis and a broken foot cause him to walk more cautiously. During the 2021 physical exam, nerve damage to his hands and feet was exposed which contributed to his stiffened gait. Also a 3 millimetre “benign appearing polyp” was removed from his body during a colonoscopy in 2021.
However, none of this seems to slow the 80 year old Democrat down and rethink his political decisions. Biden’s stalk line seems to be “Watch me. It’s all I can say,” when enquired about his age and ability to be president in a recent interview.
The president had continued to work in isolation in the White House when he had tested positive in July for COVID-19, but had experienced very mild symptoms.
In an interview last week Biden said he was simply not ready to decide whether he should run for reelection or not, though he tried to dismiss polls in which a majority of Democrats felt there should be a new candidate. The Democrat President seems unsure about his 2024 bid.
“I’m just not ready to make it,” Biden had told Telemundo when asked in an interview what was stopping him from deciding on another run. Barring any unforeseen episodes, Biden had said after the Nov. midterms that he “intended” to run again. He and his family have been signaling since early December including the visiting President Emanuel Macron- that they have been preparing for the run.
Driven by a desire to avoid triggering compliance with candidate election laws, Biden has been reluctant to definitively announce his intention. Advisers, however, note that when Biden says he’s a “great respecter of fate,” it’s less of a dodge than it would appear.
It is expected that Biden will formally announce his bid to run for re-election sometime after the State of the Union which was a kind of a preview of what his message would be to the voters as he teases a second term.
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