A doctor who conducted President Joe Biden’s annual physical examination wrote in a memo Wednesday that the president remains “fit for duty” and is a “healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male.”
Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote that the president had no significant changes in health from his last physical exam, conducted last year. It said Biden noted he’d suffered from some discomfort in his left hip, and a check revealed “mild arthritic changes.”
The memo said an “extremely detailed neurological exam” was performed, which revealed no findings consistent with disorders like a stroke, multiple sclerosis, or Parkinson’s disease. It added that Biden showed “excellent” motor skills.
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Not present in that memo, however, was an assessment on Biden’s mental fitness. White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre issued a long-winded response when asked by a reporter why Biden did not opt to undergo a more extensive cognitive exam, saying O’Connor and a neurologist “do not believe that he needs one.”
“He passes a cognitive test every day as he moves from one topic to another test, understanding the granular level of these topics,” she said.
Biden’s age, 81, and his mental fitness has emerged as a point of attack by Republicans after several viral gaffes in recent months.
In a report penned by Special Counsel Robert Hur earlier this month—ostensibly to wrap up an investigation into the president’s handling of classified documents—the prosecutor also wrote that Biden appeared to be elderly and forgetful when he spoke to him.
The report was directly contradicted by O’Connor, who wrote that Biden is “robust.”
O’Connor’s memo noted that Biden recently began using a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine to improve his sleep quality and underwent a root canal procedure in June.
The memo added that Biden’s previously reported acid reflux, seasonal allergies, spinal arthritis, and nonvalvular atrial fibrillation are all “stable and well-controlled.”
