Biden, 80, apologizes for having another cold
Biden, 80, apologizes for catching another cold as president battles cough and hoarse voice with Zelensky and other world leaders at Summit for Democracy
- My apologies for the mild cold I have. That’s the only thing that happens to me these days,” Biden said in Summit for Democracy
- Biden has dealt with health issues in the past
- At 80 years old, he is the oldest president in American history
President Joe Biden apologized for his cold on Wednesday as he addressed world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, at his second annual summit for democracy.
Speaking in a hoarse, scratchy voice and coughing a few times, Biden said, “My apologies for the slight cold I have. That’s the only thing that happens to me these days.’
A White House official told DailyMail.com that Biden’s last COVID test was Wednesday morning and the result was negative.
Biden, 80, faced questions about his health as he said he plans to seek another term in the White House.
President Biden apologized for his cold as he spoke to world leaders at the Summit for Democracy
He has battled COVID-19 and multiple colds during his tenure. Biden is the oldest president in US history.
He has his annual physical in February where his doctor declared him fit for duty. The results were largely unchanged from his last health exam in late 2021. He also showed no signs of long-term COVID after battling the virus last summer.
In December, Biden raised concerns about his health when he spoke in a hoarse voice and coughed his way through a speech on the economy. At the time, the White House released a statement from presidential physician Kevin O’Conner to reassure the American people that Biden had just caught a cold.
And last July and August, Biden coughed several times during speeches. The White House blamed allergies.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says adults have an average of two or three colds a year, and most people recover within seven to 10 days.
Last month, one Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research poll revealed that only 37 percent of Democrats said they want Biden to run for a second term. This is a sharp drop from the 52 percent who said the same thing weeks before the 2022 midterms.
Biden has not formally announced he will compete again, but has said he plans to.
Democratic voters who spoke to the AP said they were concerned about Biden’s age and the increasing number of blunders and possible health problems.
Biden addressed several world leaders, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky
Biden opened his second democracy summit with a pledge to the US to spend $690 million on strengthening democracy programs around the world.
In his remarks, he praised the recent midterm elections in the United States.
“In our free, fair and safe election last fall — America’s first national election since the January 6 attack on our Capitol — voters firmly and outright rejected the voices of extremism that attacked and undermined our democracy,” he said.
About 120 world leaders have been invited to the two-day virtual summit.
Since Biden’s last summit, Russia has invaded Ukraine and China has become more aggressive in the Indo-Pacific.