'The First Lady tolerated the procedure well': White House releases unusual statement on Jill's two-hour medical appointment after she was seen walking out of a DC outpatient center clutching Joe's arm
Jill Biden held onto husband Joe Biden's arm Wednesday as she walked out of an outpatient medical center in downtown Washington D.C following an impromptu appointment.
The president helped his 69-year-old wife into their vehicle after she underwent 'a common medical procedure' in a facility near George Washington Hospital, according to the White House.
Her office released a statement saying she 'tolerated' the procedure 'well', but wouldn't release any further details.
'The First Lady tolerated the procedure well and is headed back to the White House to resume her normal schedule,' said Elizabeth Alexander, communications director for the first lady, in a statement.
The first couple were at the medical center, on L St. on 21st St. and 22nd St just a few blocks from the White House, for about two hours for the visit that was announced late Tuesday night and prompted a last-minute change in the president's schedule.
The first lady was seen walking into the medical building, wearing a dark-colored pants suit, early Wednesday morning with the president at her side. Both were wearing face masks. After it was done, she walked back into the White House, holding the president's hand.
President Joe Biden helps first lady Jill Biden to their car after the first lady went to an appointment for a 'common medical procedure'
President Joe Biden accompanied first lady Jill Biden to a Washington D.C. outpatient center on Wednesday morning for a 'common medical procedure'
The appointment was announced in late-night change to the president's schedule on Tuesday evening. Jill Biden could have gone solo to the appointment and not have it publicly announced.
The first lady doesn't travel with a regular pool of reporters as the president does. When then-first lady Melania Trump had a kidney procedure in May 2018, she went to Walter Reed Medical Center without a public announcement. Her office later released a statement on her condition.
Jill Biden's health has not been a concern since her husband took office. She is known to jog and work out regularly. She underwent shoulder surgery in July 2009.
The White House said the first couple will resume their normal schedules after the appointment.
'Tomorrow morning, the President will accompany the First Lady to an appointment for a common medical procedure at an outpatient center in Washington, DC,' the White House announced Tuesday night. 'Afterward, the President and the First Lady will return to the White House to resume their normal schedule.'
President Biden is scheduled to make remarks on the situation in Afghanistan and to visit Section 60 of Arlington National Cemetery, where many service members who served there are buried.
President Joe Biden and Jill Biden arrive back at White House after her medical procedure
Jill Biden's office said she 'tolerated the procedure well' but offered no further details on the appointment
The next item on Jill Biden's public schedule is a trip to Illinois on Monday with the secretary of education to visit Sauk Valley Community College.
She was last seen in public on Friday when she traveled to Alabama to visit a Head Start Center and made remarks on how the American Rescue Plan would help lift children out of poverty.
She showed no signs of ill health during the trip.
Presidents go to Walter Reed – located in the D.C. outskirt of Bethesda, Maryland – for medical care. The Military Medical Center has been an evaluation site for presidents and first families for decades.
But first ladies - who are unelected and unpaid - operate under different rules from presidents.
Unlike presidents, who release a summary of their yearly physical and undergo a physical exam during the campaign to show their fitness for office, first ladies rarely release health updates.
Any information released is done so voluntarily.
The White House announced the appointment when it sent out an amended schedule for the president late Tuesday evening
Jill Biden was last seen in public on Friday during a trip to Alabama where she visited the Rushton Early Learning Center in Birmingham; she showed no signs of ill health on trip
First lady Jill Biden and President Joe Biden at an Easter speech at the White House
Melania Trump released few health updates during her time as first lady. One was for her unspecified kidney procedure. The other was in October 2020 when she and the president tested positive for COVID-19.
Trump wrote a personal essay, posted on the White House website, about her recovery from the virus.
Meanwhile, President Biden, who at 78 is the oldest president to take the oath of office, had questions raised about his health last month when he tripped and fell while boarding Air Force One.
The White House blamed the windy day for the mishap and wouldn't say when he would get his next physical.
Press secretary Jen Psaki said that 'absolutely' a comprehensive health report would be released when it happened.
'I don't have a timeline but absolutely we will do that and I will check and see when he is due to go back to the doctor,' she said at her press briefing in late March.
Joe Biden fractured his foot in November, just days after being elected, while playing with his dog, Major. He had to wear a medical boot for several weeks while his hairline fracture on his right foot healed.
He suffered the injury on the Saturday of Thanksgiving weekend and visited an orthopedist at Delaware Orthopedic Specialists in Newark, Delaware, the following afternoon 'out of an abundance of caution'.
President Biden last released health records in December 2019, in the weeks preceding the Democrats' first caucuses and primaries.
Dr. Kevin O'Connor of The George Washington University is the president's doctor. He also served as Biden's physician when Biden was vice president.
Biden previously suffered two brain aneurysms in the late 1980s, one of which ruptured. He also had deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. More recently, he had his gallbladder removed and was treated for non-cancerous polyps and skin abrasions.
As of the time of the medical report, Biden was taking blood thinners, medication for acid reflux, cholesterol and seasonal allergies.
