Joe Biden visited Walter Reed in February for a physical. He was not ‘rushed’ to the hospital

For many people, imagining a "rush" to the hospital might conjure images of flashing lights, sirens, a gurney, paramedics — possibly even an ambulance. 

It’s probably not the go-to description for an annual physical visit, but some social media users quickly made such claims about President Joe Biden’s Feb. 28 visit to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.

"Joe Biden RUSHED to Hospital Unexpectedly," read the caption on conservative commentator Benny Johnson’s March 2 Facebook post. "Press Left STUNNED | New Cancer Scare?!"

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(Screenshot from Facebook.)

The Facebook post could not be archived and was deleted after PolitiFact asked Johnson for comment. But he shared a similar post and a longer version of the video on X Feb. 28.

In the video, Johnson discussed Biden’s age, his son Hunter Biden and then said he would provide an "emergency Biden health update." 

"Joe Biden was just rushed to the hospital," he said. "What the hell’s going on? Here we go — Biden health update." Johnson displayed a screenshot of a Fox News article that said Biden made an "unannounced" trip to Walter Reed for a physical exam. "Biden says that he’s OK after (an) unannounced rush to the hospital," Johnson claimed. 

(Screenshot from X.)

Johnson argued that the hospital trip was unusual because the White House press pool is typically informed ahead of the president’s movements.

"You know where the president’s going at all times. It’s like prewritten in his schedule," Johnson said. "There’s never any unannounced things. Today, Joe Biden, unannounced, ran to the hospital. Like, just moments ago."

We contacted Johnson for comment and received no reply.

We found no evidence to suggest that Biden "stunned" the press after he was "rushed" to the hospital. 

Biden was recorded leaving the White House about 9 a.m. Feb. 28, on foot and unassisted.

(Clip from C-SPAN.)

"I’m going to Walter Reed to get my physical," he told reporters as he walked across the lawn in a misty rain with a drink in hand. He then boarded Marine One, the presidential helicopter. 

White House pool reports from Feb. 28 — summaries of the president’s public appearances that are shared with news organizations — support Biden’s explanation, stating that he would travel that morning to Walter Reed Medical Center for his physical. 

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Agence France-Presse’s White House correspondent was at the hospital, which is about 9 miles from the White House, when Biden arrived by helicopter at 9:15 a.m. Biden’s physical lasted about two and a half hours, according to the pool report. 

The pool report said Biden returned to the White House by 12:30 p.m., and the results of Biden’s physical were released that afternoon. 

Dr. Jacob M. Appel, a presidential health historian and a professor at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, said there is "wide variation" regarding when the press and the public is informed that a president has an annual physical or some other medical procedure scheduled. 

"For instance, former President Trump announced his 2018 and 2019 physicals days in advance, but not his 2020 physical," Appel told PolitiFact in an email. Appel also said some physicals have been "announced after the fact over the years."

The speculation about Biden’s hospital visit follows Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin’s failure to disclose details about his prostate cancer treatment to Biden and other administration officials. Austin apologized in February for keeping Biden in the dark.

Dr. Kevin O’Connor, Biden’s physician, wrote in a summary memo that Biden is "a healthy, active, robust 81-year-old male, who remains fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency."

Biden takes "three common prescription medications and three over-the-counter medications" to treat a handful of medical conditions O’Connor described as "stable and well-controlled." 

Those conditions include "obstructive sleep apnea, a-fib (atrial fibrillation) with normal ventricular response, hyperlipidemia, gastroesophageal reflux, seasonal allergies, spinal arthritis and sensory peripheral neuropathy of the feet," O’Connor said. 

Both Biden and former President Donald Trump, 77, face growing scrutiny over their respective ages and health and fitness to serve if reelected in November.

Johnson’s post claimed that Biden "stunned" reporters when he was "rushed" to the hospital. 

We found no evidence Biden was "rushed" to the hospital. On Feb. 28, he walked to Marine One in front of reporters, described where he was headed, boarded the helicopter and flew to Walter Reed Medical Center for his annual physical.

Reporters documented Biden’s travel at the White House and at the hospital. A summary of his physical results was released later that day. 

We rate that claim False.