Joe Biden’s Physical Examine Closely Watched – President Joe Biden arrived at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center in Maryland on Thursday morning to undergo a routine physical – and the results will be made public afterward. It will likely be the last health update from Biden before he announces his intention to run for reelection next year.
The exam is also Biden’s second since he became president, and in 2021, his doctor reported that he was a “healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male.” Biden was deemed fit to serve as commander-in-chief.
Joe Biden and the Age Question: Ageism or Valid Concern?
Since taking office, there have been questions about whether Joe Biden is too old for the job – especially due to its demands.
At 80, he is now the oldest person ever to serve as president but has continually waved off questions about his age.
Former South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley, who officially kicked off her campaign for the Republican nomination on Wednesday, said it was time for a new generation to lead America.
Pundits have suggested it was a not-so-subtle dig at Biden’s age as well as that of former President Donald Trump, who is just two years younger than Biden.
Haley is hardly alone in feeling that Biden is too old to work in government. A Reuters/Ipsos poll conducted last week found that about three-quarters of Americans – including more than half of Democrats – have suggested Biden’s age is an issue. Most Democratic respondents said that even as they believed the president remains mentally sharp, about half still said he can’t handle the physical toll of the office.
Biden would be 86 by the end of a prospective second term, which is 13 years older than the average life expectancy of an American male, according to 2020 U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) data.
Elder Statesmen
It should be noted, however, that all of the recently deceased presidents lived into their 90s.
Former President Ronald Reagan was 77 years old when he left office in 1989 – and lived another 16 years, though, in 1994, he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
Former President George H.W. Bush also lived to 94, while former President Gerald R. Ford lived to 93.
Moreover, former President Jimmy Carter also turned 98 last October – and remains the oldest former president to date. Carter has also lived more than 42 years since leaving office, the longest of any former president.
Joe Biden has lived longer already than former Presidents Dwight D. Eisenhower and Lyndon Johnson, as the former lived to 78 while the latter passed away at just age 64. Biden will turn 81 in November and will be nearly the same age as former President Richard Nixon when he passed.
Though it is a true that a significant number of presidents did die fairly young – not including those who were tragically assassinated – a handful of others lived into their late 80s or older. That included former Presidents John Adams (90), Herbert Hoover (90), and Harry S. Truman (88).
There are those who continue to question Biden’s mental and physical state – but Biden has always been a gaffe machine, so it is hard to tell if there is an actual cognitive decline.
It could further be noted that Mick Jagger and Keith Richards of the Rolling Stones are just a few months younger than Biden, and toured last year to mark the band’s 60th anniversary. There are even reports they’ll play a few dates this summer.
Perhaps Joe Biden will be in attendance.
BONUS: The Fall of Joe Biden Has Started
BONUS: Donald Trump Looks At His End
BONUS: Kamala Harris Should Quit
BONUS: A Nuclear War over Ukraine?
Author Experience and Expertise: A Senior Editor for 19FortyFive, Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu.
