‘Do you think I need it?’: Biden jokes about his annual physical

President Biden joked with a reporter on Thursday who asked him when he’ll be getting his annual checkup done. 

“What, do you think I need it?” the 80-year-old commander in chief responded.

Biden made the retort outside the Nantucket Fire Department in Massachusetts, where he met with first responders on Thanksgiving, and revealed that part of his physical has already been completed. 

“I’ve gotten my — I will get — part of my physical is already done, and I’ll be getting it before the end of the year,” Biden said. 

The president made history on his birthday this past Sunday by becoming the first commander in chief to turn 80 while in office.

Biden is reportedly in talks with his family and close advisers about whether to launch a 2024 reelection campaign. If he successfully runs for a second term, he would be 86 by the end of it. 

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed earlier this week about the president’s health. 

“So the president is in good health and maintains an active lifestyle. That is from the doctor. He shared that with me. He will have a physical in the upcoming months, and the results will be released in the same way that it was last year,” Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday. 

However, she declined to commit to releasing the results of the president’s physical before a decision on whether Biden will run again is made. 

The president’s age and health have become concerns for most voters. 

An October poll found that 64% of Americans said they were “concerned” about Biden’s mental health, up from 59% in August. The issue reverberated across both sides of the aisle, with more than 50%  of Democrats expressing concern about his age in the survey.

The gaffe-prone president has sought to ward off these concerns, but acknowledged his age is a “legitimate” issue to voters.

“I think it’s a legitimate thing to be concerned about anyone’s age, including mine,” Biden said in the interview with MSNBC last month. 

“And I think the best way to make the judgment is to watch me. Am I slowing up? Do I have the same pace?” he added, suggesting that he actually felt more like 50.