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(RepublicanJournal.org) – The White House has released the results of President Biden’s annual medical examination. According to his doctor, Biden is fit for office despite some minor ailments. The president has already seized on the report to paint himself as fit and ready for another four years in office, even though the report doesn’t touch on what voters are really worried about — his cognitive abilities.
On February 28, Biden visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his annual physical exam. Hours later, presidential physician Kevin O’Connor released a six-page report summarizing the results. It’s a very positive and upbeat assessment of the president’s physical condition. O’Connor called Biden “a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male” and said he’s fit to carry out all the duties of the presidency.
Of course, as you’d expect from an 81-year-old, Biden does have health issues and O’Connor listed those. The president suffers from acid reflux, which he’s taking medication for. He has seasonal allergies, which apparently he’s had all his life, and uses over-the-counter medications to manage them. O’Connor also commented on Biden’s “perceptibly stiffened ambulatory gait,” which he first noticed in 2021; that’s caused by moderate to severe arthritis, but hasn’t gotten worse since last year. He also has decreased sensation in his feet, which is slowly spreading higher up his legs.
Overall O’Connor paints a picture of an elderly but healthy man who’s suffering from mild age-related deterioration. The only new issue he highlighted is obstructive sleep apnea — pauses in breathing during sleep — which wasn’t there last year. Biden is now using a Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP) machine to help him breathe while he’s sleeping.
It does look as if Biden is pretty healthy for a man his age, but voters aren’t too worried if he walks stiffly or suffers from acid reflux. What they worry about — and they do; 76% of all voters, and 54% of Democrats, have concerns about Biden’s health — is his mental competence for the job. And his annual physical exams don’t include any cognitive tests at all. Perhaps it’s time they did.
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