White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said President Joe Biden passes a cognitive test every day while fulfilling his duties in office amid concerns about his fitness for office.
Biden unexpectedly visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Wednesday for an annual physical examination. Concerns around Biden’s fitness for office have continued to dominate conversation following a report from special counsel Robert Hur on the president’s handling of classified documents. Hur noted that during a five-hour interview with the special counsel on Oct. 8-9, Biden seemed to forget when his vice presidency began and ended as well as the date his late son died. (RELATED: McDonald’s, Missiles & Marches: Biden’s Thursday Devolves Into All-Time Gaffe Reel)
“Did the president take a mental fitness or cognitive test during his physical this morning?” a reporter asked in Wednesday’s press briefing.
After noting that O’Connor stopped by her office and was working on finishing his memo summarizing Biden’s physical, Jean-Pierre addressed the question of a cognitive test.
“As it relates to, you were asking me about a cognitive test, as it relates to that — look, the president doesn’t need a cognitive test,” Jean-Pierre said. “That is not my assessment. That is not my assessment. That is the assessment of the president’s doctor, that is also the assessment of the neurologist who has also made that assessment as well.”
“And you have heard us say this, and I’ll reiterate this again, if you look at what this president, who is also the Commander-in-Chief, passes a cognitive test every day,” she continued. “Every day. As he moves from one topic to another topic, trying to understand the granular level of these topics. You saw him talk about fighting crime today, tomorrow he is going to go to the border, next week he is going to give the State of the Union address. So we have that in mind. This is a very rigorous job and the president has been able to do this job every day for the past three years.”
The president’s physician Kevin O’Connor released his memo of Biden’s examination following the press briefing in which he determined that he was fit for office. O’Connor noted that Biden suffers from seasonal allergies and obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
“President Biden is a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency, to include those as Chief Executive, Head of State and Commander in Chief,” O’Connor wrote in his summary of Biden’s visit.
“There’s nothing different from last year,” Biden said about his physical examination Wednesday. “Everything’s great.”