Biden says he’ll release medical records before primaries

Former Vice President Joe Biden said Friday he would release his medical records before any votes are cast in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Biden made the pledge while talking to reporters in Texas after the latest Democratic debate the night before in which a younger rival jabbed at the former vice president’s memory.

The former vice president pushed back on a question about whether he would release his records to address any “concerns.”{mosads}

“What the hell concerns, man?” Biden asked the reporter. “You want to wrestle?” 

“Before there’s a first vote, I’ll release my medical records,” he added when pressed. “There’s no reason for me to not release my medical records.”

WATCH: Biden just committed to releasing his medical records before the first votes, when asked by @igorbobic. @CBSNews pic.twitter.com/fylqqhQFPZ

— Bo Erickson (@BoKnowsNews) September 13, 2019

At 76, Biden is one of the oldest candidates running for election in 2020, though allies have long brushed aside questions about his ability to seek and win the presidency.

Still, some Republicans have continued to go after Biden’s age and mental state, with President Trump among those unleashing attacks on the former vice president.

“Joe is not playing with a full deck,” Trump told reporters last month. “This is not somebody you can have as your president, but if he got the nomination I’d be thrilled.”

Biden has drawn attention in recent months over a series of gaffes, including when he said Bobby Kennedy and Martin Luther King were assassinated in the 1970s and that poor kids are just as bright as “white kids” before correcting to say “wealthy kids.”

While several Democratic contenders have called for generational change within the party – veiled jabs at the field’s more senior candidates – most have resisted any outright attacks on Biden’s age.

That tact appeared to shift some in Thursday night’s debate in Houston, during which former Obama Cabinet member Julián Castro accused Biden of “forgetting” details of his health plan.

Castro later insisted he was not taking a shot at Biden’s age but was trying to differentiate their health care plans.

Still, Biden’s campaign struck back at the former Housing and Urban Development secretary, saying it was Castro who “got the facts wrong” about Biden’s health care plan.

General election candidates typically release the results of personal physical evaluations and Trump also released the results of his medical exam earlier this year.