Joe Biden's Annual Physical Announcement Sparks Wave of Questions

President Joe Biden announced on Wednesday he will travel to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his routine annual physical, and the news sparked a wave of questions from conservatives on social media.

Senator Josh Hawley, a Missouri Republican, took to X, formerly Twitter, to ask, "Will he be getting a cognitive exam?"

Context

Questions relating to the age and mental fitness of Biden, 81, and former President Donald Trump, 77, have been consistent talking points during the primary season. Additionally, age has also been a concern among voters in a still hypothetical, but increasingly likely, rematch between Biden and Trump.

While they have a history of verbal gaffes, calls for a cognitive test for both presidential candidates have increased. Biden's history of verbal missteps have come under heightened scrutiny as he campaigns for reelection, as detractors have continually seized on his slip-ups, saying his age is a major issue in his ability to govern.

What We Know

Boarding Marine One on Wednesday morning, Biden said, "I'm going to Walter Reed to get my physical," as reporters shouted questions at him.

The White House is expected to publicly release a written summary of Biden's physical.

Since Biden's departure, many conservatives have taken to X to raise questions about the trip.

RNC Research wrote on X: "Will it include a cognitive exam?"

RNC Youth Advisory Council Co-Chair Brilyn Hollyhand said on X: "Take a cognitive test, @joebiden!"

Newsweek has reached out to the White House via email for comment.

Views

Biden previously pushed back on concerns regarding his mental competency, telling reporters, "My memory is fine," before getting visibly annoyed about the claims in Special Counsel Robert Hur's assessment of Biden that he forgot when his son died.

"How in the hell dare he raise that," he said. "I don't need anyone to remind me when he passed away."

Dr. Kevin O'Connor, the physician to the president, said in February 2023 that "Biden remains a healthy, vigorous, 80-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency."

However, Republican presidential hopeful Nikki Haley previously took aim at Biden and Trump when her team handed out a mental competency test to people who attended a rally in South Carolina this month.

Haley has repeatedly questioned Trump's mental competency on the campaign trail and argued that Trump and Biden are too old to serve second terms as president.

After her loss in the New Hampshire primary, Haley, 52, challenged Trump to face her directly, saying: "He thinks he'd do better [on a mental test] than me. Maybe he would, maybe he wouldn't. But if he thinks that, then he should have no problem standing on a debate stage with me."

What's Next?

Strategist Steve Schmidt, a staunch Trump critic, previously warned that the mental fitness accusations against Biden could be "deadly" if his reelection campaign does not focus on fighting questions about his age.

"The allegations, though spurious, have the potential to be deadly," Schmidt wrote in his newsletter this month. "Though they are unfair, they are potent. Whining, complaining, crying, screaming and shrill denunciations against them won't change that fact."

Meanwhile surveys show troubling signs for Biden should he go head-to-head against Trump in November. Not only are the two men neck-and-neck in the polls, Trump has also been able to make gains among voting blocs that were critical to Biden's 2020 win, like young voters and Black voters.

"The Biden campaign must brawl and fight and brawl some more," Schmidt said. "The greatest liability is now in the middle of the ring. It is either true or not. The burden is on the president. A lack of rebuttal will become evidence of truth. Joe Biden has to demonstrate he is able. Period."

Update 2/28/24, 10:35 a.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.