Joe Biden jokingly dismissed concerns regarding his health when a reporter pressed the US President on the date of his annual physical.
“What, do you think I need it?” replied the octogenarian Commander-in-Chief outside the Nantucket Fire Department in Massachusetts.
The Democratic POTUS, who was meeting first responders on Thanksgiving, clarified that he had ostensibly got part of his physical check-up already out of the way, saying:
“I’ve gotten my... I will get... part of my physical is already done, and I’ll be getting it before the end of the year.”
Athough Biden appeared to be dismissive of any concerns regarding his fitness to do the country's top job, netizens were of a different opinion. Many users on the internet suggested POTUS needed to have both his physical and mental acumen checked as soon as possible.
Others speculated that Biden regularly took such tests, but the results were swept under the rug.
Earlier in the week, when pressed about the president’s condition, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre claimed that Biden was “in good health and maintains an active lifestyle”.
“That is from the doctor. He shared that with me. He will have a physical in the upcoming months, and the results will be released in the same way that it was last year,” Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.
No clarification was offered regarding whether the results of Biden’s annual physical would be released before the Democrat made a decision on whether he would make a second run for the Oval Office in 2024.
Despite personally acknowledging that he could “drop dead tomorrow” and conceding that it is “legitimate” for voters to wonder how mentally and physically equipped he is to carry out his duties, America’s oldest sitting president indicated earlier that he "intends” to run for office again in 2024, after consulting with his family.
Biden would be 86 by the end of his potential second term. Nevertheless, the walking and talking meme-generator, with his regular bouts of word salad, stumbling incidents and bizarre behavior, has given more than enough grounds for concern about his fitness for office.
According to a poll carried out in October, 64 percent of Americans were "concerned" about Biden’s mental health, with more than 50 percent of Democrats also making their concerns known.
