President Biden will undergo a “routine annual physical” at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on Friday morning, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said in a statement.

       White House officials have said for months that Biden, who turns 79 on Saturday and is the nation’s oldest president, would get an exam and be transparent about the results.

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       In a statement Friday morning, Psaki said more details about Biden’s physical would be released after he arrives at the military hospital in Bethesda, Md. Biden’s motorcade arrived at the hospital shortly before 9 a.m. Friday.

       White House says Biden will release updated health information this year

       Biden released a three-page summary of his medical history in December 2019, during his presidential campaign. Written by his doctor, it declared him “healthy” and “vigorous.”

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       It indicated he was treated for an irregular heartbeat, gastroesophageal reflux and seasonal allergies. It also showed he had a history of atrial fibrillation, which was discovered during a routine check before he had his gallbladder removed in 2003.

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       Biden has never required any medication or electrical treatments, but he does take a blood thinner, according to the summary. He also uses over-the-counter esomeprazole for gastroesophageal reflux and uses Allegra and Dymista to treat his sinus symptoms.

       The summary also noted that Biden had no permanent damage from the aneurysms he suffered in 1988.

       Biden’s health, however, has garnered outsize attention because of his age and criticism from Republicans who have seized on what they claim are his deteriorating mental and physical abilities. During the 2020 campaign, President Donald Trump repeatedly raised questions about Biden’s fitness for office, nicknaming him “Sleepy Joe.” And Trump’s base quickly took up the political attack, with some making veiled comments about Biden’s mental acumen and others offering more overt ones.

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       After Biden’s first news conference in March, for instance, Rep. Lauren Boebert (R-Colo.) tweeted, “A President with cognitive decline is a national security risk.”

       Biden has only one other event on his public schedule Friday: In the afternoon, he plans to conduct the time-honored White House tradition of a turkey pardon before heading to Wilmington, Del., for the weekend.

       Matt Viser and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.