Biden’s exam took about 3 hours, the White House said.
WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden said his routine physical exam on Thursday “went well,” in an exclusive interview with NBC News on Thursday.
“Well, everything really went well. God, love him. Thank God for small favors,” Biden said.
The White House plans to release more details about the physical later on Thursday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said.
Biden was 78 years old at the time of his last physical in Nov. 2021. He had a routine exam and a colonoscopy, which required sedation, at Walter Reed Medical Center. This time, he did not have a colonoscopy, Jean-Pierre said on Thursday.
The examination took about 3 hours, Jean-Pierre said.
In 2021, Biden remained “fit for duty” and could “and can carry out his responsibilities “without any exemptions or accommodations,” Dr. Kevin O’Connor wrote in a six-page memo.
O’Connor also said that an “extremely detailed neurologic exam” showed no disorders, such as the possibility of a stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s.
The exam, however, revealed mild stiffness in Biden’s movements, particularly in his feet, O’Connor said. He said the president would temporarily wear custom orthotics to correct the issue. O’Connor also prescribed physical therapy and exercise to improve the president’s flexibility.
Biden, now 80, hasn’t explicitly said he plans to run for a second term, Biden is expected to make a decision and announcement soon.
If Biden runs again, he’ll be 81 years old during the 2024 presidential election and would be 86 at the end of a full second term.
Before his 2021 exam, his previous full medical assessment was publicly released in 2019 by his campaign when he was running for the Democratic nomination. At the time, Biden was described by O’Connor of The George Washington University as a “healthy, vigorous, 77-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief.”