The White House announced on Monday that U.S. President Joe Biden is not receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease and has not seen a neurologist outside of his yearly physicals. This came after the New York Times revealed that visitor logs revealed a physician with expertise in the illness came to the White House at least eight times between August and March.
Since Biden stammered during his June 27 debate against Republican Donald Trump, appearing weak and occasionally losing his train of thought, there have been worries that he may be afflicted with an undiagnosed illness.
The White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, stated in a letter on Monday night that Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his yearly physical.
“According to the White House, Biden is not receiving treatment for Parkinson’s following a NYT report.”
Democrats who believe Biden lacks the mental capacity to challenge Trump as their nominee in the Nov. 5 presidential election are criticising Biden. On Monday, Biden told MSNBC over the phone that he was “not going anywhere,” indicating that he will not be giving up on his campaign.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist and movement disorders specialist from Walter Reed National Military Medical Centre, visited the White House eight times between August and March, according to visitor logs reviewed by Reuters. Cannard is a co-author of studies conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Centre on early Parkinson disease treatment.
Cannard visited the White House as part of his neurological clinics, according to O’Connor, not to treat the president but rather to assist “thousands” of active duty members assigned to support White House operations.
The New York Post first revealed about Cannard’s visits to the White House on July 6. According to Reuters, a former White House official who worked for Biden both as president and as vice president under President Barack Obama received migraine treatment from the same physician in 2016.
According to the person, the doctor visited the White House once a month back then as part of his rotation. Regarding Cannard’s visits earlier in the day, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre declined to confirm or provide further details. She was questioned repeatedly by reporters during the media briefing and stated that she wanted to respect everyone’s privacy for security concerns.
According to her, Biden had seen a neurologist three times in relation to his yearly physical examination. She did not provide an explanation for Cannard’s visitation at the White House, but she did imply that it might have something to do with attending to certain military personnel stationed at the White House complex.
“The medical unit is responsible for the care of thousands of military personnel who visit the White House,” she stated.
(Reuters)
