Despite his rather advanced age, President Joe Biden and the White House have been dismissive about his yearly physical.
On Wednesday, the White House announced yet another delay in the octogenarian’s next medical exam.
According to The Hill, a White House official said the physical is now set for Feb. 16, with the results to be “released publicly in the same manner as last year.”
That date is more than two weeks beyond the time frame previously promised by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.
Jean-Pierre was asked about the issue during a Jan. 20 news conference, with a reporter saying, “Do you have any update on the president getting a physical? He hasn’t had one in a year.”
“Yeah, we’ve — I’ve spoken to this a couple of times,” she responded. “He will have one before the — by the time the end of this month is out. And so we will do the same that we did the last time in — back in 2021. We were — where we provide, with full transparency, his — his medical, physical.”
The question arose from the fact that Biden had promised back in November to complete the medical exam by Dec. 31. After he celebrated his 80th birthday, the president told reporters that “part of my physical is already done, and I’ll be getting it before the end of the year.”
His last physical was in November 2021.
The latest postponement was blamed on a “busy and evolving travel schedule in recent weeks.”
NEW: A White House spokesperson says President Biden’s physical will be completed Feb. 16 and released publicly in the same way as his previous physical. The WH says the scheduling changed because they had to work around a “busy and evolving travel schedule in recent weeks.”
— Catherine Lucey (@catherine_lucey) February 1, 2023
With Biden expected to officially announce whether he is running for re-election shortly after the State of the Union address on Tuesday, Republicans say Americans have a right to know whether he is physically and mentally up to the challenge of another term.
“I think it would be important to see a very thorough and comprehensive cognitive function study that is released with transparency to the general public,” GOP Rep. Scott DesJarlais of Tennessee told the Washington Examiner.
“The American people want to know that their commander in chief is fully capable of performing at the highest level to protect the safety and security of our nation,” said DesJarlais, who is a physician.
The White House’s lack of communication on the issue has set off alarm bells about Biden’s health.
“Seriously, where is Biden? No press interviews, the White House press secretary has no credibility left, and the administration dodges, deflects, and delays on matters that deserve full transparency,” an unnamed senior Republican official told the Examiner.
“The American people deserve better than the dishonesty and evasiveness of Biden.”
Jean-Pierre has been asked about the promised examination six times in recent weeks, and her answers have led to confusion.
During a briefing on Jan. 6, a reporter questioned why the timeframe for this physical was different from the one Biden had in 2021. She cited his “very hectic” schedule.
“Well, if you were — if you watched the president in November, you saw that he had — he traveled to Indonesia, Cambodia, North — North Africa,” the press secretary said. “He traveled across the country. And so, he had a very hectic schedule.
“And I think that plays into what his doctors have said, right? His doctor has said — is that he’s in good health. He’s in very good health, and that he’s — leads an active life, as we saw in November and in December.”
When a reporter asked him in November whether an exam had been scheduled, the president made a joke about it.
“What, do you think I need it?” Biden responded.
With Biden already the oldest president in history and a potential re-election announcement drawing near, his health is sure to be under heavy scrutiny in the coming months, with or without an official physical.
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