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Biden’s gait gets former Obama doc’s attention as president heads to annual physical: ‘He’s not a young 80’

February 16, 2023 | | Print Article

The nation’s oldest president in the history of American presidents shuffled off to the doctor today after delaying his annual physical evaluation for weeks, and according to President Barack Obama’s former doctor, the White House will “sugarcoat” anything the physicians might find.

Dr. David Scheiner served as Obama’s doctor for more than 20 years before he ascended to the White House. Given that President Biden is 80 years old, he says his age is a major health concern.

But don’t expect to learn anything when Biden’s results are released on Thursday. That’s not how the White House handles these things, Scheiner said.

“You’re not going to learn anything,” the doctor told the Washington Examiner. “They sugarcoat these things.”

Should Biden be reelected, Scheiner noted, he would be 86 at the end of his second term.

“I don’t care if he’s in perfect health now — which, I can’t believe he’s in perfect health,” he said. “He’s had too many things in his past history.”

As a senator, Biden suffered two brain aneurysms, which required surgery.

“It worries me that he is aging,” Scheiner said. “If I look at him, he’s not a young 80.”

In 2021, Biden’s physician noted that his gait was “perceptibly stiffer and less fluid” than it had been the year before. This, Scheiner explained, could provide significant insight into his overall health.

“The gait is not an insignificant factor,” Scheiner stated.

A person’s gait, he said, offers “a peek into the whole physical, mental capability of a person.”

The delay in finishing the exam he started last year was due to the president’s travel schedule, according to the White House.

Scheider is not optimistic about the prospects of a thorough evaluation of Biden’s mental capacity and his ability to lead the country.

“The one thing they don’t check is a careful examination of the mind,” he said. “I don’t think any candidate wants it. They’re afraid they might find something.”

The doctor pointed to Biden’s previous aneurysms as a particular area of concern.

“Biden had an aneurysm repaired. When you do work on the brain, there’s always a little damage done,” he stated. “He’s had that atrial fibrillation — that can sometimes throw off small strokes. They’re leaving a whole area of concern in my mind.”

The last time Biden completed a physical was in November 2021, when he was declared “fit for duty.” But, as The Examiner reports, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, who has served as Biden’s doctor since his time as vice president, did note, in addition to his stiffer gait, his patient’s “increasing frequency and severity of ‘throat clearing’ and coughing during speaking engagements.”

On Tuesday, Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas) demanded that Biden’s exam includes a “cognitive” component.

“Joe Biden was LOST today trying to read off the teleprompter,” the lawmaker tweeted. “He couldn’t even say ‘Washington’ correctly.”

“He MUST have a cognitive exam during his next physical,” Jackson stated. “Something is NOT RIGHT with him!!”

 

Melissa Fine
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