President Joe Biden told more than 20 Democrat governors that he underwent a medical checkup following his halting, shaky debate performance last week, Politico reported.
During the hourlong private meeting on Wednesday, the 81-year-old Biden said his health was fine.
"They got through today, but it's still very unclear where this goes," one White House staffer told Politico of Biden's desire to remain the Democratic Party's presumptive presidential nominee.
Many Democrats, party donors, and mainstream media pundits have called on Biden to end his reelection campaign after a widely criticized debate effort against former President Donald Trump raised concerns about the president's cognitive ability.
Politico reported earlier this week that Biden would meet with Democrat governors from across the country to address concerns about his performance in last week's debate.
Following the meeting — with 12 governors attending in person and others joining virtually — Democrat governors of New York, Minnesota, and Maryland expressed confidence in the president and said they had an honest discussion after Biden's debate performance.
On Thursday, Politico reported Biden "mentioned having had a checkup in recent days and asserted that he remains in good health, knocking on wood for effect" after one governor asked about his physical condition.
Democrat Govs. Michelle Lujan Grisham of New Mexico and Janet Mills of Maine told Biden they were concerned whether he could still win their blue-leaning states. In 2020, Biden won New Mexico by 11 percentage points and Maine by 9.
Hours before Wednesday's meeting between Biden and the governors, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre evaded directly answering questions about Biden's fitness for office.
"The president has regular annual physicals that we release in a thorough report," Jean-Pierre told reporters. "We're going to continue to do that."
The White House insisted Biden's last physical was in February, but added he has seen a doctor regularly since then for brief check-ins, NBC News reported.
"Several days later [following the debate], the President was seen to check on his cold and was recovering well," White House spokesman Andrew Bates told NBC News in a statement Thursday morning.
Administration officials added that the president hasn't undergone any kind of neurological scan since the debate.
Politico also reported that Biden told the governors he wanted to travel more and interact with voters.
"To me, that's getting back to the 'Scranton Joe' stuff," one staffer told the outlet. "The problem is that we have Grandpa Joe."
Charlie McCarthy ✉
Charlie McCarthy, a writer/editor at Newsmax, has nearly 40 years of experience covering news, sports, and politics.
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