How qualified is the President of the United States? A new health check has been released

Washington. US President Joe Biden struggles with all kinds of aches and pains, but according to his doctors he is fully fit for his job. The White House released the 81-year-old's latest health checkup on Wednesday (local time). It lists a variety of minor ailments over six pages, including, as in previous years, such unpleasantries as common “rubs and tears” and “stiff walking.” However, Biden's doctor certifies that the oldest US president of all time is “healthy”, “active” and fully capable of fulfilling the duties of his office. However, there are certainly doubts about this due to Biden's old age, regular petty misdeeds, and an explosive investigative report recently released on another matter.

A peculiarity of American politics is that presidents must regularly disclose their health. It is not required by law, but it is a kind of ritual that cannot be avoided by the incumbents. Once a year, US presidents undergo extensive tests and routine exams, the results of which are published in some detail. Biden went to Walter Reed Army Hospital near the capital Washington on Wednesday.

Pelvic problems, breathing problems, but “no tremors”

A six-page bulletin issued by her doctor, Kevin O'Connor, said the Democrat was doing well and had no new health concerns. However, various known illnesses of the President are listed. The 81-year-old is struggling with general wear and tear on his spine. “The President's gait is stiff but has not worsened since last year,” the doctor wrote. Recently, Biden has had to complain about increased discomfort in his left hip while being active.

For months now, the world's most powerful man has been wearing a breathing mask “almost every night” due to sleep apnea. It has been proven effective, the doctor wrote. Sleep apnea is a sleep-related breathing disorder in which sufferers experience pauses in breathing during sleep. That means sufferers don't wake up refreshed in the morning. Biden also suffers from reflux disease. According to the doctor, a digestive ailment means Biden has to clear his throat and cough frequently.

What else the doctor noted, similar to previous reports: the president doesn't smoke, doesn't drink alcohol and exercises “at least five days a week.” He is 1.83 meters tall and weighs less than 81 kg.

The results of the report are largely similar to those of previous studies. However, reading the bulletin, Biden's age is normal — for example, there are no signs of stroke or Parkinson's disease and the president has “no tremors.”

A matter of age

The health of the president generally creates heightened public interest in the United States. This is even more so given Biden's age. He's moving to the White House in 2021, and he wants to run for a second term in November. If he manages to do that, he will eventually be 86. Among parts of the population and in Biden's own party, enthusiasm for his re-election campaign is low.

Biden continues to make headlines with blunders, slips of the tongue, and gaffes. Rivals from within the Republican ranks — above all Biden's likely November opponent, his predecessor Donald Trump — have made extensive use of such gaffes to question Biden's mental and physical fitness.

More recently, the release of an investigative report on Biden's storage of classified documents caused quite a stir, as the report portrayed the Democrat as a senior figure — “an old man with no good memory.” Remembering is “significant.” “Controlled”. Biden angrily dismissed the account and said his memory was good.

Not a cognitive test

On Wednesday, the White House again faced questions about why the president didn't take a mental health test during a routine physical exam to demonstrate his cognitive abilities. “The president does not need a cognitive test,” Biden's spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said. This is the consensus assessment of his doctors. “He takes a cognitive test every day as he moves from one topic to the next,” he emphasized. Biden has a very demanding job as president and commander in chief of the armed forces. “The president has been able to do that job every day for the last three years.”

Trump has faced doubts about his mental health during his time in office – due to his erratic political style, sometimes chaotic situations and verbal abuse. Republicans at the time took a test used to check his mental abilities and early diagnose suspected dementia and Alzheimer's. The patient must identify a drawn animal such as a lion or a rhinoceros or find a cube. There are also questions designed to test the ability to focus and remember. Trump once passed with a score of 30 out of 30 — and hoped the result would end speculation about his fitness for office. However, it had only limited success. Trump decided not to repeat the test in subsequent years.

RND/dpa