How President Biden’s latest physical could affect his expected reelection bid : NPR

ARI SHAPIRO, HOST:

The White House released the results of President Biden’s latest investigation today. It’s a document that’s being read with more than usual interest, as the president is 80 and is expected to announce soon that he plans to run for a second term. NPR’s Tamara Keith is in the White House. And Tam, tell us what this report says.

TAMARA KEITH, BYLINE: Yes. So the top line I think is that the president’s doctor says he remains healthy and strong and fit to carry out the duties of the presidency. Now, when he digs a little deeper, he says there were no residual symptoms of COVID. The President had COVID over the summer. No signs of long COVID. Last year, the doctor spoke in his report of a stiffening of the President’s gait when walking. And this stiffness remains, although it has not gotten worse. And the causes are, according to an extensive neurological study – it’s not Parkinson’s. It’s not a stroke. According to President’s Physician Kevin O’Connor, it is caused by a combination of spinal arthritis, mild post-fracture foot arthritis, and mild peripheral sensory neuropathy that affects the feeling of his feet. We note that a small lesion was found on the President’s chest and sent for biopsy. These results are pending. That was found today. The doctor notes that the President spent a lot of time in the sun as a youth. President Biden is certainly better off than I am. He trains five days a week and has lost six pounds. I can not say that.

SHAPIRO: OK, so pretty healthy. As I said, he is still 80 years old and the oldest president in American history. So what is the policy of this report?

Keith: Right. He is 80 years old and wants to stand for re-election. He hasn’t made it official yet, but all signs point in that direction. Nikki Haley, the former South Carolina governor who jumped into the Republican nomination race this week, is trying to make age an issue, saying there should be a competency test for every candidate over 75. I’ll note that former President Donald Trump is already in the running, and he’s 76 years old, so she’s kind of after both of them. Haley’s proposal was all about attracting attention, and the White House today answered questions about whether President Biden is really ready for another term. Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary, quickly backtracked.

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KARINE JEAN-PIERRE: The president always says that, so watch him. And if you watch him, you’ll see that he has a busy schedule to keep up with that some of us just can’t keep up with at times.

Keith: Yes. And I will say that when the President returned from his doctor’s appointment today, he was with Walter Reed for about 3 hours. When he came back, he ran across the South Lawn. It was wet. It rained. But he also made sure there is a video of him running. And certainly that clean physical is another thing that could pave the way for a re-election campaign that is already taking shape.

SHAPIRO: And is there anything in particular that people pay attention to when we look at this assessment of his health?

KEITH: Well, of course we’ll be waiting for the results of that biopsy. That’s something people are looking for. Don’t expect personally from Dr. to hear O’Connor. It is unlikely that he will take questions. That was a pretty dry memo. While there are many questions to ask, this White House is not interested in drawing too much attention to the president’s health or making his doctor a star. They would much rather focus on his achievements, which they say are plentiful.

SHAPIRO: NPR White House Correspondent Tamara Keith, thank you very much.

KEITH: You’re welcome.

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