Biden seemingly contradicts WH after press secretary says president did not have medical exam after debate
Hours after the White House told reporters that President Biden had not had any recent medical exams, the president reportedly contradicted his press secretary by telling governors that he had a recent medical checkup.
When pressed about the president's health during a press briefing on Wednesday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre explicitly told reporters that Biden has not had any medical exams since his last annual physical.
"Has the president had any medical exams since his last annual physical in February?" CNN's Min Jung "MJ" Lee asked.
"And got – and we were able to talk to the – to his doctor about that, and that is a no," Jean-Pierre said.
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Jean-Pierre reiterated that the 81-year-old president had not received any kind of medical exam.
"He hasn’t had any kind of medical exam?" Jung said.
"No," Jean-Pierre replied.
Jean-Pierre's comments came just hours before Biden met with Democrat governors at the White House on Wednesday night.
According to the New York Times, Biden told governors that had seen the White House physician to check on the cold his campaign said that he had during the presidential debate against Trump.
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Biden also reportedly told governors that he would no longer schedule events after 8 p.m. so he could "get more sleep," the outlet reported.
When questioned about the seemingly contradictory comments, the White House sent the following statement to Fox News Digital:
"Several days later, the President was seen to check on his cold and was recovering well," the White House press office clarified.
The comments come as Biden's closest allies, politicians and the media have raised concerns about the president's age and mental acuity.
With a raspy voice and rambling answers, Biden struggled during portions of last week's presidential debate.
Following the debate, Democrats and liberal media figures appeared to be in a "panic" after Biden's performance.
The optics led to a full-on meltdown in Democrat-friendly media, with journalists at various outlets reporting on dozens of Democratic Party officials who said Biden should consider refusing his party's nomination at the Democratic National Convention in Chicago in August.
Some strategists have suggested the Democratic Party must act quickly to replace Biden before his nomination is made official.
Vice President Harris has been largely ruled out as a potential replacement due to her unpopularity with voters. California Gov. Gavin Newsom and Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer have each previously been floated as a potential last-minute replacement.