President Joe Biden was described as “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male” in a memo from his physician that was released Wednesday by the White House following his annual physical.
Biden “remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency,” said the memo from Kevin O’Connor, the physician to the president.
One new development, according to O’Connor’s memo, was that Biden has started to use a device “almost every night” to treat obstructive sleep apnea, a condition that affects more than 30 million Americans.
The president addressed his annual checkup in an exchange with reporters on Wednesday afternoon. He said the physical shows “nothing different than last year” and joked about looking “too young.”
Ahead of November’s presidential election, one topic that just won’t go away is how Biden’s age affects his fitness for another term.
A Quinnipiac University poll last week found 67% of registered voters said they think the Democratic incumbent is too old to effectively serve another four-year term. Meanwhile, 41% said the same about former President Donald Trump, 77, the likely Republican nominee.
From MarketWatch’s archives (July 2023): Biden’s age is figuring ‘prominently’ in the 2024 White House race — but here’s what the pundits could be getting wrong
Following Biden’s routine medical checkup last year, his doctor pronounced him to be “healthy, vigorous” and “fit” to handle his White House responsibilities. O’Connor later disclosed that a skin lesion removed during that checkup was found to have been cancerous but that no further treatment was needed.
Biden and his allies often have pointed to his legislative victories or other accomplishments when asked about his age.
“We have to judge him by what he’s done,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a briefing in November. “I would put the president’s stamina, the president’s wisdom, ability to get things done on behalf of the American people against anyone on any day of the week.”
