President Joe Biden has started using a CPAP machine to treat his long-standing sleep apnea, the White House has confirmed.
The marks from the CPAP machine were visible on the 80-year-old's face as he left the Whiter House this morning.
Biden had previously disclosed his sleep apnea before the 2008 presidential campaign.
The use of the machine is a recent development and is not related to any new condition or environmental factors, the White House insisted.
CPAP treatment helps improve sleep quality and reduces snoring by keeping airways open.
Biden has a history of sinus and nasal surgeries and has dealt with congested airways throughout his life.
He has also experienced coughing fits and has asthma, for which he carries an inhaler.
Deputy press secretary Andrew Bates said in a statement: "Since 2008, the President has disclosed his history with sleep apnea in thorough medical reports. He used a CPAP machine last night, which is common for people with that history."
ABC News reports Biden began using the CPAP in recent weeks to help improve his sleep quality. The outlet details how his sleep apnea was first disclosed to the public in 2008 and he was revealed to have had several sinus and nasal passage surgeries in his 2019 medical record.
The 80-year-old President has faced questions about his health as he gears up for his reelection campaign.
Despite these health concerns, Biden travelled to Chicago to deliver a major address on his economic philosophy, which contrasts with the small-government approach of Republicans.
President Joe Biden made his pitch Wednesday to a skeptical public that the US economy is thriving under what he now touts as “Bidenomics” -- even as a new poll showed that could be a hard sell as the foundation for his 2024 reelection campaign.
In a major economic speech in Chicago, Biden said his administration's efforts were sparking recovery after Republican policies had crushed America's middle class.
But the poll said only one in three US adults approve of his economic leadership.
That 34% figure is even lower than his overall approval rating of 41%, according to the survey from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research.
Biden's approval figures have barely moved for the past year and a half, a source of concern for a president pursuing a second term on his ability to govern and focus on workers.
He wants voters to connect local roads and bridge projects, factory construction and the rise of electric vehicles and renewable energy to the millions of dollars in initiatives he signed into law during the first two years of his administration.
“Bidenomics is about the future,” he declared in his Wednesday speech to cheering supporters. “Bidenomics is just another way of saying: Restore the American dream.”
At the same time, he sought to paint previous Republican tax cuts as deeply flawed, saying they helped the rich but failed the middle class for decades as the promised “trickle down” benefits never seemed to come to the less wealthy.
“The trickle down approach failed the middle class,” he said. “It failed America. It blew up the deficit. It increased inequity. And it weakened our infrastructure. It stripped the dignity, pride and hope out of communities, one after another.”
As he was departing Washington on Wednesday, Biden said he believes the U.S. will avoid the recession that many economic analysts have been expecting.
Republican leaders such as House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., said last year that the high inflation under Biden's watch meant that “we are in a recession," but that is not the case under economic definitions.
