Biden's doctor says US president 'fit for duty' following physical

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden is "fit for duty," his physician said Wednesday following a routine annual medical screening that is sure to be the focus of intense scrutiny heading into November's presidential election.

"The President feels well, and this year’s physical identified no new concerns. He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations," Dr. Kevin O'Connor wrote in a letter released by the White House.

Biden, 81, went in for testing earlier Wednesday at Walter Reed Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland in what was a previously unannounced visit.

The president's previously disclosed medical conditions, which include gastrointestinal reflux, non-valvular atrial fibrillation and sleep apnea, "remain stable and well-controlled," O'Connor wrote.

"President Biden is a healthy, active, robust, 81-year-old male who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief," he wrote.

O'Connor said he sought feedback from his "respected colleagues" before issuing his report on the president's health.

The report comes three weeks after Special Counsel Robert Hur decided not to pursue charges against Biden for his mishandling of classified documents. But in doing so, Hur publicly cast doubt on the president's mental acuity.

"Biden's memory was significantly limited, both during his recorded interviews with the ghostwriter in 2017 and in his interview with our office in 2023," Hur wrote in his report.

Investigators also concluded that it “would be difficult to convince a jury that they should convict him – by then a former president well into his eighties – of a serious felony that requires a mental state of willfulness.”