President Biden does not have Parkinson's, White House says, despite eight visits by neurologist
9 July 2024, 05:45
White House officials have said President Biden is not being treated for Parkinson's, despite being visited by a neurologist eight times in the last year.
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During a press briefing held by White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre, reports that a specialist doctor had visited the US president several times in the past year.
It follows widespread speculation about the US President's health, after Mr Biden's televised debate with Donald Trump saw him freeze on stage, repeat himself and at times deliver incoherent answers.
It comes as Democrats labelled the President's performance an "unmitigated disaster" and "a slow-motion car crash" following the debate.
According to the New York Times, White House visitor logs revealed that Dr Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who recently published a paper on Parkinson's, visited the White House eight times in the space of eight months.
The visits fell between the summer of 2023 and the spring of 2024, according to reports.
However, Mr Biden's personal doctor, Kevin O'Connor, continues to insist "President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical" in a recently published letter.
"The results of this year's exam were detailed in my 28 February letter: 'An extremely detailed neurological exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's…'" he wrote.
One of the eight visits was said to be with Mr Biden's personal doctor.
It comes as the White House press secretary insisted that Mr Biden had seen a neurologist three times - but all meetings were connected to routine annual physical exams.
The specific nature of these meetings, however, remains unclear.
According to the White House, Dr Cannard treated a number of different people during his visits to the presidential residence in Washington.
"He has held regular Neurology Clinics at the White House Medical Clinic in support of thousands of active-duty members assigned in support of White House operations," Dr O'Connor wrote.
It follows comments made by Joe Biden in which he said he is "not blind" to concerns about his age in a head-on attack on critics questioning his future in the US presidential race.
In a letter to Democrats in Congress, the US president said he was "firmly committed" to his re-election campaign and vowed to remain in the contest against Donald Trump.
