Politics

Biden tells Democratic governors he got a medical checkup after debate disaster

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Published July 4, 2024, 2:34 a.m. ET

WASHINGTON — President Biden told Democratic governors on Wednesday night that he received a medical checkup following last week’s disastrous debate and insisted he’s in good health.

But the short doctor’s visit was only to assess an apparent lingering cold and was “not a physical,” a White House aide told The Post and other news outlets.

There was “not a range of tests” performed to assess the president’s overall health, the official acknowledged.

President Biden arriving at the East Room in the White House on July 3, 2024.
President Biden arriving at the East Room in the White House on July 3, 2024. Gripas Yuri/ABACA/Shutterstock

“Several days [after the debate], the President was seen to check on his cold and was recovering well,” White House deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement.

The 81-year-old president’s disclosure to the more than 20 governors — 10 of whom appeared in person in the West Wing — was prompted when one of the state leaders asked him about his physical condition.

Biden responded that he’d had a checkup just days earlier and said he was healthy — knocking on wood for effect, two sources told Politico.

Hours earlier, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to directly answer reporters’ questions about whether the president’s health had been professionally evaluated following the debate.

L-R) Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Kathy Hochul of New York and Tim Walz of Minnesota speak to reporters after a meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden at the White House on July 03, 2024 in Washington, DC.
(L-R) Governors Wes Moore of Maryland, Kathy Hochul of New York, and Tim Walz of Minnesota speak to reporters after meeting President Biden at the White House on July 3, 2024, in Washington, DC. Getty Images

“The president has regular annual physicals that we release in a thorough report,” she said. “We’re going to continue to do that.”

Wednesday’s hastily organized hour-long meeting was put together amid increased concern in the Democratic Party over the president’s age, cognitive fitness and ability to serve another four-year term.

Several governors — including those considered the best picks to replace Biden should he step out of the race — made public statements of support for Biden following the meeting, with many using variations of the phrase “in it to win it” to signal their backing.

The 81-year-old president's health disclosure to the more than 20 governors was prompted when one of the state leaders asked him about his physical condition during the hastily organized hour-long meeting
The 81-year-old president’s disclosure of his health to the more than 20 governors was prompted when one of the state leaders asked him about his physical condition during the hastily organized hour-long meeting. Getty Images

Soon after the meeting ended, one possible Democratic replacement, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, tweeted her support for the president, repeating the slogan of the meeting: “@JoeBiden is our nominee. He is in it to win it and I support him.”

However, just three governors who attended the meeting in person stuck around to speak to reporters.

One of those, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul, said that “all” of the state heads in the meeting “pledged our support to him because the stakes could not be higher.”

But privately, Democratic staffers remain alarmed over Biden’s political future as jockeying continues among potential successors — with Biden reportedly telling two allies Wednesday he may need to step aside if he’s unable to regain his political footing in the coming days.