US PRESIDENT-ELECT Joe Biden has fractured his foot while playing with one of his dogs, according to his doctor.
Biden suffered the injury on Saturday and visited an orthopedist in Newark, Delaware, for an examination yesterday afternoon, his office said.
A subsequent CT scan “confirmed hairline (small) fractures of President-elect Biden’s lateral and intermediate cuneiform bones, which are in the midfoot”, according to a statement from his doctor, Kevin O’Connor.
“It is anticipated that he will likely require a walking boot for several weeks,” he added.
Leaving the doctor’s office to head to an imaging centre for his CT scan, Biden was visibly limping, though he walked without a crutch or other aid.
He was under examination for more than two hours after arriving at the office yesterday afternoon.
Biden sustained the injury playing with Major, one of the Bidens’ two dogs.
They adopted Major in 2018, and acquired their first dog, Champ, after the 2008 election.
The Bidens have said they will be bringing their dogs to the White House and also plan to get a cat.
At 78, Biden will be the oldest president when he is inaugurated in January, but he frequently dismissed questions about his age on the campaign trail.
He released a doctor’s report in December that disclosed he takes a statin to keep his cholesterol at healthy levels, but his doctor described him as “healthy, vigorous” and “fit to successfully execute the duties of the Presidency”.
Press team
Elsewhere, Biden will have an all-female senior communications team at his White House, in what his campaign said would be a first for the country.
Biden’s campaign communications director Kate Bedingfield will serve as his White House communications director, while Jen Psaki, a long-time Democratic spokeswoman, will be his press secretary.
Four of the seven top communications roles at the White House will be filled by women of colour, and the incoming president said he wanted to have “diverse perspectives” among his team.
In a different area of the White House operation, Biden plans to name Neera Tanden, the president and CEO of the liberal think tank Centre for American Progress, as director of the Office of Management and Budget, according to a source.
White House press corps entirely by dialling into his favourite Fox News shows.
In a statement announcing the White House communications team, Biden said: “Communicating directly and truthfully to the American people is one of the most important duties of a President, and this team will be entrusted with the tremendous responsibility of connecting the American people to the White House.
“These qualified, experienced communicators bring diverse perspectives to their work and a shared commitment to building this country back better.”
Others joining the White House communications staff include Karine Jean Pierre, who was Vice President-elect Kamala Harris’ chief of staff, and will serve as a principal deputy press secretary for the president-elect.
Pili Tobar, who was communications director for coalitions on Mr Biden’s campaign, will be his deputy White House communications director.
And Ashley Etienne, a former communications director for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, will serve as Harris’ communications director, Symone Sanders, another senior adviser on the Biden campaign, will be Harris’ senior adviser and chief spokesperson, and Elizabeth Alexander, who served as the former vice president’s press secretary and his communications director while he was a US senator, will serve as Jill Biden’s communications director.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
have your say