White House Faces Scrutiny Over Conflicting Statements On Biden’s Health Post-Debate Medical Exam

Aaron Schwartz/Sipa USA via AP Images

The White House revealed that President Joe Biden was examined by his physician days after last week’s CNN presidential debate in a disclosure that contradicts statements made by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Tuesday.

The question has become a preoccupation amid growing concerns about Biden’s overall health for office, as well as accusations that the White House has not been entirely open about his mental fitness.

At Tuesday’s briefing Jean-Pierre denied that Biden had any medical examination after the debate, while being pressed about whether he was checked due to his cold. The press secretary said that the president had not had a medical exam since his February physical.

“It’s a cold, guys. It’s a cold,” Jean-Pierre told reporters. “I know that it affects everybody differently. We’ve all had colds, and so no, he was not checked out by the doctor.”

On Thursday, however, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said that the president did see a doctor about his cold, a version of events that aligned with a Politico article published Wednesday, which reported that Biden informed over 20 Democratic governors in a private meeting that he had a medical checkup post-debate and was fine.

Bates said: “Several days later, the president was seen to check on his cold and was recovering well.”

Biden’s explanation is that his performance suffered due to travel fatigue and a cold—despite being back in the U.S. for nearly two weeks—has done little to convince critics and commentators of his vigor, amid calls for him to step down from the 2024 race.