Biden undergoing routine physical exam at Walter Reed

Washington — President Biden is undergoing a routine physical exam at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Maryland on Thursday, his first check-up in more than a year.

The 80-year-old’s last physical was in November 2021. At the time, Mr. Biden’s physician, Kevin O’Connor, wrote in a memo that the president was “fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” while noting that the president was coughing with more frequency. O’Connor also noted the president had more stiffness and less fluidity in his gait, which he attributed to the “wear and tear” of osteoarthritic changes to the president’s spine.

Mr. Biden, who is the oldest serving president in U.S. history, contracted COVID-19 last summer and suffered a rare rebound case of the disease, prompting him to isolate at the White House for several weeks. He experienced mild symptoms and was treated with the antiviral drug Paxlovid.

The president took his Marine One helicopter to Walter Reed on Thursday morning. The physical was supposed to happen by the end of last month, but White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the president’s changing schedule pushed back the timeline. 

Walter Reed has a presidential suite, and has been used by recent presidents for both routine physicals and urgent medical situations. Then-President Donald Trump was treated at the facility in October 2020 when he had COVID-19 before vaccines were available. 

As a part of his routine physical in 2021, Mr. Biden underwent a colonoscopy, and briefly transferred presidential power to Vice President Kamala Harris. She became the first woman to temporarily serve as president. 

The White House typically provides a summary of a physician’s assessment of the president shortly after a routine physical.