Hoarse-Voiced, US President Joe Biden Says It's "Just A Cold"

"I am okay," US President Joe Biden said. "I have a test every day... a Covid test. They check me for all the strains."

US President Joe Biden was notably hoarse Friday as he delivered a speech and answered questions from the press, but insisted he had simply caught a cold from his grandson, and his doctor said his Covid tests were negative.

The gravelly, lower-pitched tone of Biden's voice as he spoke at the White House, peppered with several coughs, prompted the first journalist called on to ask, "Are you okay?"

"I am okay," Biden said. "I have a test every day... a Covid test. They check me for all the strains.

"What I have is a 1 1/2-year-old grandson who had a cold who likes to kiss his pop... but it's just a cold," he added.