President Biden pauses during the CNN presidential debate on June 27 at CNN Studios in Atlanta.
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A neurological expert only visited President Joe Biden as part of a routine physical exam after asking about his fitness to serve as president, the White House doctor said. The White House physician added in a letter released on Monday that the specialist’s other visits to the White House have been to treat military personnel with neurological problems related to their service.
The White House revealed after the president submitted three annual medical reports that he had been seen by a neurologist and numerous other specialists to check whether he had diseases such as multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis signs.
On Monday, The New York Times reported that a neurologist had visited the White House eight times in the past eight months, according to visitor logs.
Asked about the report during a press briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre pointed to the three disclosures and said Biden visited a neurologist three times for medical exams.
She said the White House medical unit cares for a large number of people in the White House complex and declined to provide details about why experts visited the campus at other times, citing privacy reasons.
Jeanpier said Biden was not being treated for Parkinson’s disease and was not taking medication. She noted that Biden regularly checks in with a team of doctors from the White House Medical Unit.
White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor said in a letter released by the White House Monday night that he received special permission to disclose updates about expert Dr. Kevin Cannard and his examination. Too many details, which goes against standard practice.
O’Connor said Cannard has served as a neurological consultant to the White House Medical Department since 2012.
“Dr. Canard has been visiting patients at the White House for more than a decade,” the letter reads. “Dr. Cannard was selected not because he is an expert in movement disorders, but because he is a highly trained and highly regarded neurologist at Walter Reed Hospital and throughout the Army Health System with exceptional His broad expertise allows him to flexibly treat a variety of patients and problems.”
After this year’s physical, O’Connor concluded in a Feb. 28 letter that there were “no findings consistent with any cerebellar or other central nervous system disease,” such as stroke, multiple sclerosis or Parkinson’s disease.
Calls for Biden to drop out of the re-election race have grown since a debate with former President Donald Trump, in which he struggled to get his message across and at times was unable to form even basic sentences. The White House described the performance as a strange, bad night, and even other Democrats publicly questioned whether Biden can be re-elected.
Biden vowed to maintain the Democratic vote lead.
In an interview with ABC News on Friday, Biden dismissed suggestions that he could undergo an independent medical evaluation, including neurological and cognitive tests, to show he is fit for re-election.
“I take cognitive tests every day,” Biden said. As president of the United States, “I’m not just running, I’m running the world.”
