The Truth About Joe Biden's Colonoscopy Result

Eyebrows were raised in mid-November when President Joe Biden went in for his first physical since becoming president. But it had less to do with the fact that he would be undergoing general anesthesia for a colonoscopy and more to do with the fact that Kamala Harris would make history as a result of it. 

During the colonoscopy, doctors discovered a polyp — or a small growth, per the Cancer Council — and at the time, the president's doctor Kevin C. O'Connor considered the growth to be "benign-appearing" (via the White House). Still, the physician did say that it could be a "potentially precancerous lesion" and as such needed further testing. 

The results of those tests have returned, and the president has since been cleared. The tumor, a tubular adenoma, was benign, which means no further testing is needed. The Washington Post, which reported on the result, said the benign tumor is similar to one Biden had removed during a colonoscopy in 2008. 

Twitter was divided over Biden's health check

While the six-page health report was thorough and addressed any and all health problems the president might experience, conservative pundits on social media were irate, because they claimed it was missing a critical element. 

"Not surprising there was NO mention, in a 6 page report, of any 'cognitive test' being performed, despite more than 50% of American seeing him mentally unfit for the job," one Twitter user fumed. Another warned that: "Many physical health issues were discovered. There were no cognitive tests. His obvious decline in mental health is already hard for the Democrats to ignore, and a diagnosis would only makes things worse."

But as MSNBC's Ali Velshi pointed out both on-air and via social media, "[while] Joe Biden is not in perfect shape, he's everything you'd expect a 79-year-old man to be." He added that "the results are in and Pres. Biden's routine physical exam is ... normal. It's a refreshing shift after four years of lies & lunacy, when even something as simple as a health exam was sprinkled with white lies & exaggerations."