President Joe Biden will undergo his annual physical at Walter Reed Medical Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland Wednesday. The trip was not announced by the White House in advance, despite reporters recently asking questions about when Biden would receive the annual check up.
"I'm going to Walter Reed to get my physical," Biden said on the South Lawn before boarding Marine One.
While the general results of the physical will be released to the public in a memo, Biden's White House physician and other doctors will not be made available for direct questioning about the president's physical or mental condition. Biden also won't take a cognitive test as part of the exam.
REPORTER: "Any updates on when the president's physical might be taking place?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 12, 2024
KJP: "He will have a physical. When we have information on that, we'll certainly share that with you. We'll be transparent."
REPORTER: What about a cognitive exam?
KJP: "The president proves… pic.twitter.com/4GZr4inA2H
After Special Counsel Robert Hur declined to charge Biden for mishandling and retaining classified documents as a private citizen, citing his poor memory and failure to recall import facts (like when his son died and the period during which he served as vice president), concerns about Biden's cognitive state increased. The White House continues to stonewall on details about Biden's mental capabilities.
REPORTER: "When can we talk to the president's doctor and how come he hasn't been asked to come out here and talk to us given the Hur report?"
— Townhall.com (@townhallcom) February 12, 2024
KJP: "Special Counsel Hur is, as far as I remember, a Republican, a prosecutor. He's not a medical doctor."
REPORTER: "Can we talk to… pic.twitter.com/veO7HWE41R