Biden Undergoes Annual Physical at Walter Reed

The White House is expected to release a summary of Mr. Biden’s physical later on Wednesday.

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President Biden arriving at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his annual physical in Bethesda, Md., on Wednesday.

President Biden was undergoing the third physical exam of his presidency on Wednesday amid concerns over his age as he campaigns for a second term.

Mr. Biden, 81, traveled to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for his annual physical, according to the White House. The visit was not announced ahead of time but was on his schedule, according to two people familiar with the plans but who were not advised to speak about them publicly.

The White House is expected to release a summary of Mr. Biden’s physical later on Wednesday.

Events over the past few weeks have cast a spotlight on Mr. Biden’s age. He was described in a special counsel report over his handling of classified documents as a “well-meaning elderly man with a poor memory.” Polling shows that a majority of Americans have concerns about his age and ability to run for a second term. And Mr. Biden has made unforced errors at events, including recalling interactions with foreign leaders who would have been dead at the time those interactions took place.

As the presidential election heats up, the president has tried in recent days to assuage concerns over his age by reframing the focus on his likely Republican challenger, former President Donald J. Trump, who is four years younger and who makes a number of untrue, exaggerated or outright false claims at each of his public appearances.

“You got to take a look at the other guy,” Mr. Biden said during an appearance this week on “Late Night With Seth Meyers.” “He’s about as old as I am, but he can’t remember his wife’s name,” he added, referring to a video in which Mr. Trump, 77, appeared to forget the name of his wife, Melania.

White House officials have been asked for weeks about whether and when Mr. Biden would make the trip to Walter Reed. Last February, Kevin C. O’Connor, the president’s longtime physician, gave Mr. Biden a clean bill of health, calling him a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old.”

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