President Biden told reporters on Wednesday that his annual physical exam at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center went ‘great,’ tamping down concerns over his health as the presidential election draws near.

Biden had just finished delivering remarks on how his administration’s policies on fighting crime in communities across the country are working when one reporter can be heard shouting if there’s anything Americans should know following his annual doctor’s visit.

‘Well, they think I look too young,’ Biden replied.

Biden assured reporters that ‘everything’s great’ regarding the check-up and that ‘there is nothing different than last year.’

Biden had revealed earlier Wednesday that he was making an unannounced trip to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center for a physical exam.

The exam comes after the report from Special Counsel Robert Hur that claimed the president had significant memory issues.

Earlier this month, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated that Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, does not believe a cognitive test is necessary. She said O’Connor believes Biden proves his cognitive ability ‘every day [in] how he operates and how he thinks.’ 

Biden received his last physical on Feb. 16 of last year, when his physician gave him a clean bill of health in a letter that said Biden was ‘fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency.’

Biden has undergone yearly physical examinations since the beginning of his term, in line with every other commander in chief since President Richard Nixon.

Walter Reed, the hospital used by all presidents for routine medical care and examinations, is located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Fox News’ Timothy H.J. Nerozzi contributed to this report.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R–La., is holding firm to his demand that foreign aid issues be addressed only after action is taken on the U.S. border crisis.

It comes after a so-called ‘intense’ meeting at the White House on Tuesday, where Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Johnson was pressured by others in the room – including by Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. – to allow an immediate House vote on aid for Ukraine.

Johnson’s office insisted in a statement to Fox News Digital Wednesday that the Louisiana Republican’s position remains ‘unchanged.’

‘The Speaker’s message for the White House and fellow Congressional leaders was straightforward and remains unchanged,’ a Johnson spokesperson told Fox News Digital on Wednesday.

‘We must secure our border and fund our government before securing another country’s border or funding another country’s priorities.’

President Biden summoned the top four congressional leaders – Johnson, Schumer, McConnell, and House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, D-N.Y. – for a meeting to discuss government funding and his request for a supplemental aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan and humanitarian aid for Gaza.

Johnson, who met with Biden one-on-one after the initial discussion, called his meetings ‘frank and honest.’ 

Without referencing Ukraine specifically, he said about Biden’s supplemental aid request: ‘I was very clear with the president and all those in the room that the House is actively pursuing and investigating all the various options on that, and we will address that in a timely manner. But again, the first priority of the country is our border and making sure it’s secure.’

But the Wednesday statement to Fox News Digital makes clear that he left the meeting with the same priorities he went in with. 

Schumer told reporters after he left the White House: ‘The meeting on Ukraine was one of the most intense I have ever encountered in my many meetings in the Oval Office. The five of us, the President, the Vice President, Leader McConnell, Leader Jeffries and myself made it so clear how vital this was to the United States.’

‘We said to the speaker, get it done,’ Schumer said.

Johnson’s office did not directly address Schumer’s account in its statement to Fox News Digital, but the speaker has repeatedly called on Biden to take executive action to close the border amid a record flow of migrants into the U.S.

Biden, meanwhile, has insisted publicly that Congress must pass a legislative fix to address the issue.

A $118 billion package that included $60 billion for Ukraine and a host of border security measures was rejected by congressional Republicans earlier this year, many of whom said it did not go far enough in addressing the crisis.

Johnson himself said it would be ‘dead on arrival’ if it got to the House, but that was hours before it failed in the Senate with only four Republicans supporting it.

During their White House meeting Tuesday, the congressional leaders also discussed the upcoming federal spending deadlines on March 1 and March 8 as the clock ticks down to a possible partial government shutdown at the end of this week.

All four affirmed they were committed to finding some kind of deal on government funding by Friday but gave little insight into how they planned to do so.

‘The speaker said unequivocally he wants to avoid a government shutdown,’ Schumer said after the meeting. ‘We made it clear that that means not letting any of the government appropriations bills lapse, which means you need some CRs to get that done. But, we’re making good progress, and we’re hopeful we can get this done really quickly.’

The Biden-Harris re-election campaign has announced the hiring of three key staffers ahead of next week’s Super Tuesday.

News of the hires broke Tuesday afternoon from Politico, citing ‘two people familiar with the decision.’ 

The campaign’s new hires include Alana Mounce, who will serve as political director; Meredith Horton, who will serve as national director for voter protection and access; and, Roohi Rustum, who will serve as national organizing director.

The formal announcement came a day after approximately 15% of Michigan Democrats voted for an option other than President Biden to be the party’s nominee, with most of the dissent going to an option that read ‘Uncommitted.’

The new reinforcements are joining the campaign just days ahead of Super Tuesday on March 5, the day when several states all vote in their respective primaries with hundreds of delegates up for grabs.

Campaign Manager Julie Chavez Rodriguez said in a statement released Wednesday that the ‘battle-tested operatives’ would help bolster the campaign’s efforts, helping in various capacities.

‘I’m thrilled to have these battle-tested operatives join our team. This is a team with unparalleled expertise, creativity, and grit that will be critical to winning this November,’ said Rodriguez. ‘We’re excited that Alana – a seasoned Biden-Harris operative – will lead our political operation. She is a proven and trusted leader who knows the importance of mobilizing the Biden-Harris coalition, and will be masterful at leading our political efforts.’

Campaign general counsel Maury Riggan offered similar praise. ‘Meredith will be an invaluable asset to lead our voter protection and access program. Her expertise will spearhead the essential role our campaign will have in protecting every American’s fundamental right to participate in our democracy – especially critical, as MAGA Republicans openly embrace election denialism and work relentlessly to restrict the right to vote.’

Also on Wednesday, Biden’s campaign announced it was launching a nationwide effort to win over women in November. First lady Jill Biden will lead the ‘Women for Biden-Harris,’ the campaign said.

Biden was ultimately declared the winner in Michigan’s Democratic primary despite a late push by Arab Americans to ‘abandon’ him over his continued support of Israel in their war against Hamas.

On Super Tuesday, voters in 14 states and American Samoa will head to the polls to choose their candidate: Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont and Virginia.

Mounce was previously the campaign’s ballot access director. She joined the campaign from the White House, where she was the deputy political director in the Office of Political Strategy and Outreach. She previously served as the DNC political director and worked for both President Obama and Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaigns.

Horton is a veteran consultant and joins the campaign from the consulting firm MPH Concepts, where she is the founder and president. She has previously worked at the Southern Poverty Law Center, Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and the Texas Civil Rights Project.

Rustum joins the Biden-Harris campaign from the DNC, where she served as the interim national organizing director. She previously worked for Pete Buttigieg’s presidential campaign.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

First lady Jill Biden is set to lead a program encouraging women to vote for her husband, President Biden.

The ‘Women for Biden-Harris’ program, aimed at bringing in female voters, is rolling out nationwide events leading up to the November presidential election.

‘Women put Joe in the White House four years ago, and women will do it again,’ Jill Biden said in an announcement of the program. 

The first lady continued, ‘In our communities, women are the organizers, the planners, the mobilizers. We get things done. That’s exactly why we’re launching ‘Women for Biden’ now because when women organize, we win.’

The program is set to start on Friday, marking the beginning of Women’s History Month in the U.S.

Women were a key demographic victory for President Biden in 2020, breaking for the Democratic ticket by a margin of 11%.

‘Women for Biden-Harris’ is hoping to maintain the Democratic Party’s popularity with women via a series of events in battleground states such as Wisconsin and Arizona.

Biden campaign manager Julie Chávez Rodriguez emphasized the role of women in Biden’s 2020 victory via a statement on the new program.

‘Americans will face a real choice at the ballot box this November between Joe and Kamala who will stand up and fight for women and their freedoms each and every day, and Donald Trump who is looking to take our rights and freedoms away,’ Rodriguez said. 

She added, ‘Republicans have underestimated the power of women time after time and together, this November, we will make sure that they never make that mistake again.’

The Biden-Harris campaign reported Women for Biden-Harris as one of its largest coalitions heading into the 2020 presidential election.

Harris is simultaneously undertaking a separate series of appearances – the ‘Fight for Reproductive Freedoms’ tour – focusing on abortion policy.

Self-help guru Marianne Williamson returned to the 2024 presidential race on Wednesday, just weeks after announcing the suspension of her campaign.

Williamson made the announcement in a video statement on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. Williamson said she returned to the race because she feels President Biden is a vulnerable candidate to put up against former President Donald Trump.

‘As of today, I am unsuspending my campaign for the presidency of the United States,’ Williamson said. ‘I had suspended it because I was losing the horse race. But something so much more important than the horse race is at stake here, and we must respond.’

‘Right now, we have a fascist standing at the door. Everybody’s all upset about it. Well, we should be upset about it. But we’re not going to defeat the fascist by – well, by what? What is President Biden offering?’ she asked. ‘What is he saying beyond, ‘You know, the economy is doing really well.’?’

‘We’re still in this. Let’s do this. This is serious,’ she added. ‘We need to say to the American people, ‘we see your pain,’ and we need to say to Donald Trump, ‘we see your B.S.’’

Williamson originally suspended her campaign on Feb. 7, dropping out of the race without making an endorsement.

Williamson first ran for president in 2019 – also against Biden and a slew of other Democrats – and announced in early 2023 that she would be challenging the president again in 2024.

Williamson was one of two prominent Democratic candidates who have attempted to challenge Biden’s re-election. Along with her is Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., who has blasted the Democratic Party for refusing to consider alternatives to Biden.

Fox News’ Houston Keene contributed to this report

Lara Trump officially announced her candidacy for co-chair of the Republican National Committee (RNC) on Wednesday.

Her announcement comes days after current RNC Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel announced that she will resign on March 8, following the Super Tuesday primaries. Trump is among several loyalists former President Trump has supported to take over key roles at the RNC.

Lara wrote to committee members on Wednesday, saying she is ‘proud to have the endorsement of my father-in-law and 45th president, Donald J. Trump, for this position and understand the fundamental importance of this role.’

‘In the coming days, I look forward to connecting with you, the members of the RNC, and hopefully earning your vote,’ she added.

The former president has also endorsed North Carolina GOP Chair Michael Whatley to replace McDaniel as chair of the RNC, and senior adviser Chris LaCivita to become chief operating officer.

Lara Trump laid out her priorities to turbocharge the organization, which has been struggling to keep up with its Democrat counterpart’s massive fundraising numbers.

‘We have to legally ballot harvest everywhere we possibly can,’ she said at a campaign rally last week.

She has also argued that ‘every single penny’ the RNC receives should go toward ensuring her father-in-law is elected in November, as well as expanding the Republican majority in the House of Representatives and flipping the Senate from Democratic control.

McDaniel formally announced her resignation plans on Monday, saying it was traditional for a presidential candidate to make changes.

‘It has been the honor and privilege of my life to serve the Republican National Committee for seven years as Chairwoman to elect Republicans and grow our Party,’ McDaniel said in a statement. ‘I have decided to step aside at our Spring Training on March 8 in Houston to allow our nominee to select a Chair of their choosing. The RNC has historically undergone change once we have a nominee and it has always been my intention to honor that tradition.’

Fox News’ Brandon Gillespie contributed to this report.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday responded to President Biden’s mention of a possible cease-fire in Gaza, saying a majority of Americans support Israel continuing its campaign until victory. 

In a video address, Netanyahu said he has led a political campaign since the beginning of the war, ‘whose purpose is to curb pressures intended to end the war before its time, and on the other hand gain support for Israel.’ 

Netanyahu pointed to ‘significant success’ in this area, pointing to a Harvard-Harris poll showing that more than 80% of the American public supports Israel.

‘That means four out of five citizens in the United States support Israel, and not Hamas,’ Netanyahu said in Hebrew. ‘This gives us additional strength to continue the campaign until absolute victory.’ 

Netanyahu published the video a day after President Biden expressed his hopes for a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas that would pause hostilities and allow for the remaining hostages to be released by early next week.

Asked when he hoped such a deal could be finalized, Biden said: ‘Well, I hope by … the end of the weekend. My national security adviser tells me that they’re close. They’re close. They’re not done yet. My hope is by next Monday we’ll have a cease-fire.’

Netanyahu had said Sunday that an Israeli military offensive in the southernmost city of Rafah could be ‘delayed somewhat’ if a deal for a weekslong cease-fire between Israel and Hamas is reached. He claims that total victory in Gaza is ‘weeks away’ once the offensive begins.

Talks towards a deal have resumed at the specialist level in Qatar, which is one of the mediators.