WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s dismal performance in the June 27 presidential debate has raised concerns about his age, health and ability to lead the federal government.
Administration officials have blamed Biden’s disorganized and sometimes incomprehensible responses during his debate with Republican Donald Trump on a cold, jet lag and a lack of preparation at Camp David. But Biden, 81, sees his own health as a key issue for many voters heading into the November election. After White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to answer questions about the president’s health during a press conference on Monday, Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, issued his first comments since the debate late Monday.
How often does the president see a doctor?
Jean-Pierre said Biden undergoes an extensive medical check-up every year. He added that most Americans don’t understand the extent of medical care provided to the president, and many are lucky to see a doctor once or twice a year. In contrast, the presidential medical unit is “just around the corner from the residence” at the White House. “Two or three times a week,” Jean-Pierre said, adding that Biden checked in on Monday.
There has been confusion over whether Biden sought medical attention for a cold following the June 27 presidential debate. The White House initially said no medical examination had been performed, but later said there had been a “brief verbal confirmation” that a medical examination was deemed unnecessary.
Has the President ever seen a neurologist?
“He’s seen a neurologist three times,” Jean-Pierre said, “but no more than that.”
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The White House press secretary repeated the phrase 17 times during Monday’s briefing. She stressed that all three meetings with neurologists were related to the president’s annual physical. But Jean-Pierre declined to say where Biden met with the neurologists — whether the visits were at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or elsewhere. “I have nothing to say about the location,” she said.
Did Biden’s physical exam reveal signs of Parkinson’s disease or other neurological disorders?
Not according to the president’s most recent medical report, published in February, which Jean-Pierre cited Monday in answering reporters’ questions.
“A very thorough neurological examination revealed no findings consistent with stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or ascending lateral sclerosis,” the letter said. The letter also said there was no tremor or “hyperactivity disorder.” Biden’s physician, O’Connor, also wrote that Biden “demonstrates excellent fine motor skills.”
Why did a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s disease visit the White House?
Dr. Kevin Canard, a neurologist who conducts research on Parkinson’s disease, visited the White House eight times between July 2023 and March of this year, according to visitor records.
Jean-Pierre declined to reveal the doctor’s name or say why he was going to the White House. She told reporters it was for security reasons and noted that the White House medical unit treats many people other than the president. “We have thousands of military personnel coming into this White House,” Jean-Pierre said. “Many of them are being treated by the White House medical unit, so we have to be extremely careful.”
Jean-Pierre urged people to “connect the dots.”
O’Connor released the letter later that day, with Biden and Canard’s permission, confirming that Canard was the neurologist who had examined the president for three of his medical exams since taking office.
But O’Connor said most of Cannard’s visits to the White House have been in his role as a specialist physician in the White House Medical Unit, where he has treated patients with a variety of neurological disorders for more than 12 years.
Cannard made similar visits to the White House during the Obama administration, according to visitor records, and during the Trump administration, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity, but the Trump administration does not release visitor records.
Cannard visited Biden’s doctor in the White House clinic in January, just weeks before the president underwent a medical exam in February, and O’Connor reiterated that the results of that exam showed no signs of neurological illness.
“President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical exams,” O’Connor said in the letter.
Could Biden waive his rights and release all of his medical records?
During a press conference on Monday, Jean-Pierre was asked whether Biden would release his full medical records. He said the president “has released a fairly detailed and comprehensive medical report” that was consistent with those provided by former presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. Sen. John McCain allowed reporters to view more than 1,100 pages of his medical records when he ran for president in 2008 at age 71. At the time, McCain was the oldest presidential candidate.
