White House doctor says Biden is 'fit for duty' after the president's annual physical

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden is "fit for duty," a White House doctor said in a published summary of his routine physical.

Biden "fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations," Dr. Kevin C. O'Connor said in his assessment.

The president underwent his physical Wednesday morning at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

His health remains stable, including his asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, stiffened gait and seasonal allergies.

Biden has begun using a positive airway pressure machine as part of his sleeping routine, which was added after doctors conducted a sleep study to evaluate Biden's sleep apnea symptoms, according to the assessment.

He also had a skin lesion revealed to be a basal cell carcinoma removed from his chest last year. Biden did not need further treatment for the issue, said the assessment, which noted that that type of skin cancer does not typically metastasize.

The report added that Biden had a "dental urgency" in June and that he had a root canal the same day, which needed only "local numbing medication."

Biden continues not to use tobacco products or drink alcohol, and he exercises at least five days a week, O'Connor said. He is a "healthy, active, robust 81-year-old," the report concluded.

Speaking to reporters at the White House after his checkup, Biden said that "everything's squared away" and joked that doctors think he looks "too young."

"There is nothing different than last year," Biden said. "Everything's great."

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters at the daily briefing that she saw O'Connor after Biden's physical.

"He was happy with how everything went," Jean-Pierre said.

She rejected questions about whether Biden needs a cognitive test, saying that he doesn't need one and that that's according to his doctor, as well as a neurologist.

Biden "passes a cognitive test every day," Jean-Pierre added, saying he constantly "moves from one topic to another topic, understanding the granular level of these topics."

Various medical professionals participate in the president’s care led by O’Connor, the White House physician.

Two aides traveled with Biden to Walter Reed on Marine One: Annie Tomasini, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff, and Dilpreet Sidhu, special assistant to the president and National Security Council deputy chief of staff.

Former President Donald Trump, 77, and Republicans have been highlighting Biden's age on the campaign trail and have questioned his abilities to continue serving as president.

Biden, 81, has repeatedly said he's fine, and Democrats have defended him, describing him as physically astute in their interactions with him. Critics of Trump, including Nikki Haley — his only remaining GOP presidential rival — have also pointed out that he is nearly as old as Biden and has also had several notable memory flubs of late in recent months.

Biden last underwent a routine physical exam a year ago, in February 2023. In a five-page memo, O'Connor wrote that Biden "remains a healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency." Biden is now 81.

After a dermatology consultation, a small lesion on Biden’s chest was removed and sent for biopsy, O’Connor said. The memo also said Biden continued to take medication, including for cholesterol, and was asymptomatic for a heart arrhythmia known as atrial fibrillation.

O’Connor also said Biden experienced acid reflux, which he said is why the president can sometimes be heard clearing his throat.

This article was originally published on NBCNews.com