Biden’s health has been a concern since his unsuccessful 2008 run at the presidency, some 20 years after surviving two life-threatening brain aneurysms. His cognitive abilities have been on voters’ minds since he took office in January 2021.
A full physical exam during Biden’s first year in the White House found him to be “a healthy, vigorous, 78-year-old male, who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the president, to include those as chief executive, head of state and commander in chief,” according to personal physician Dr Kevin O’Connor. In a sixpage summary of the checkup, O’Connor chalked up Biden’s “perceptibly stiffer and less fluid” gait to mild nerve damage, and an “increasing frequency and severity of ‘throat clearing’ and coughing” to esophageal reflux.
As the year progressed, Biden’s health came under increasing scrutiny. After falling off a bicycle that June near a home he owns in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, an uninjured Biden said his foot had gotten caught on a toe clip and told the accompanying press pool, “I’m good”.
During his successful 2020 campaign, he reassured the public that he considered himself a placeholder who would restore normalcy to the Oval Office while the Democratic Party developed fresh candidates for the next election. The apparently selfless notion was also the practical way forward: a mere five in 10 registered Democrats said in an October 2022 AP-NORC poll that they wanted Biden to run for a second term.
In June 2023, Biden fell on stage after tripping over a sandbag at the US Air Force Academy graduation ceremony. A few months after that, speculation about Biden’s health intensified when, at a Manhattan campaign event, he recounted an anecdote, then repeated the same story again “nearly word for word,” according to a pool report.
この記事は The Independent の July 22, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は The Independent の July 22, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Brexit Deals A £3bn-A-Year Blow To UK Food Exports
British food sales to the EU have fallen by almost a fifth since the end of the Brexit transition period, a new report shows
Biden Criticised Across The Board For Pardoning His Son
President’s decision slated by Republicans and Democrats
Why 8 hours is a myth and other athletes' sleep secrets
Performance coach Greg Meehan tells Alex Pattle how he keeps clients, including boxers and footballers, in top shape
Women like me won't stand for this treatment any more
When I woke up to MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace blaming midlife, middle-class women and their lack of a sense of humour for his troubles, I confess to swearing at my phone.
The BBC's Wallace problem goes beyond MasterChef
Is the fate of a television cookery presenter more important than Syrian insurgents seizing Aleppo and the turmoil on the streets in Georgia? The BBC thinks so, based on its news judgements in recent days, which have seen exhaustive coverage of the accusations against Gregg Wallace take precedence over matters of life and death around the world.
Edwards knew that he was beaten but he never gave up
Former world flyweight champion told cornerman, 'I don't want to be here' after two rounds of his loss to Galal Yafai
Proud Welshman who drew every drop from his talent
Terry Griffiths was the first qualifier to lift the world crown
Former world champion Terry Griffiths dies, aged 77
Tributes have been paid to former world snooker champion Terry Griffiths, who died on Sunday at the age of 77 after a long battle with dementia.
Transformed Gravenberch embodies Slot's Liverpool
Jurgen Klopp had a habit of sounding prophetic. Or he had the capacity, whether through coaching and tactical prowess or force of personality, to make some of what he said come true.
Soaring house prices heap pressure on fixer Rayner
Sorry to make a soggy start to the week even more miserable, but it brings bad news for homebuyers. The housing market has taken a shot of adrenaline and performed a season’s best in the high jump.
