The White House gave a new version of President Joe Biden's post-debate medical update on Friday when they told reporters that the president had a "verbal check-in" with his doctor about a cold he had during the debate, The Hill reported.
Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was asked earlier this week if Biden had a seen his doctor about his cold, but she said he hadn't. On Friday Jean-Pierre gave a slight pivot in her story and told the media Biden had a "verbal check-in" following reports Biden had told a group of Democrat governors he had a check-up.
"He did have a short verbal check-in in the recent days about his cold. It wasn't a medical exam or a physical, I want to be super, super clear about that. It was a conversation, and his doctor didn't think an examination was necessary," she said.
On Wednesday, Jean-Pierre said that Biden has not had any kind of medical exam and responded "no" when asked if the president had been examined by a doctor since his annual physical in February. At the time, Biden's primary physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor, said the president is "fit for duty."
Jean-Pierre's statement on Friday seems to contradict a statement given by the White House early in the week.
"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 to CNN on Thursday.
Jean-Pierre reassured reporters that Biden has his physician around him at all times.
"The president has doctors, a medical unit around him 24/7 and that's not because of this president, that's all presidents," she said.
Despite having over a week's rest following his overseas travel, Biden still cited his work overseas as a reason for his exhaustion, telling reporters he "wasn't very smart for traveling around the world a couple times before the debate."
The White House has spent the last week doing damage control following Biden's poor debate performance while the list of Democrats calling for him to step aside grows daily.
James Morley III ✉
James Morley III is a writer with more than two decades of experience in entertainment, travel, technology, and science and nature.
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