White House admits Parkinson’s expert has examined Biden – but says only for his annual physicals
The White House admitted Monday that a Parkinson’s expert who’s visited the executive mansion eight times in as many months has evaluated President Biden — but said the exams only took place during the president’s annual physicals.
The revelation was disclosed in a letter from Biden’s personal physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor hours after White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to explain the flurry of recent visits from the Parkinson’s specialist, Dr. Kevin Cannard.
“Dr. Cannard was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals,” O’Connor wrote in the letter.
“President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical,” O’Connor said.
O’Connor stressed that while Cannard’s specialty is treating patients with movement disorders like Parkinson’s, he has practiced as a general neurologist for six years and has been the neurology consultant to the White House medical unit since 2012.
He also reiterated that Biden’s last physical in February revealed no indications that the president had Parkinson’s or other neurological disorders.
The letter follows a fiery exchange between Jean-Pierre and reporters earlier in the day in which the White House spokesperson refused to explain the nature of Cannard’s visits, citing “security concerns.”
Cannard traveled from his post at Walter Reed National Military Medical Medical Center to the White House residence clinic eight times for early morning visits between July 2023 and March 2024.
The logs show that the specialist met with Megan Nasworthy, who coordinates primary care visits for the president and his family, seven times at the White House. He met with O’Connor and Dr. John Atwood, a cardiologist at Walter Reed, during his other visit.
But O’Connor said Cannard often visits the White House medical unit to meet with members of the military and has hosted regular neurology clinics there for active-duty service members.
“Prior to the pandemic, and following its end, he has held regular Neurology Clinics at the White House Medical Clinic in support of the thousands of active-duty members assigned in support of White House operations,” the president’s physician wrote.
What to know about the calls for President Biden to drop out of the 2024 race:
- President Biden’s poor performance in the first 2024 presidential debate left some Democrats unsure of his fitness for office and future as the party’s candidate.
- More than a dozen congressional Democrats have joined in calling for Biden’s exit from the race. Former Biden supporter George Clooney echoed these calls in an op-ed published in the New York Times just weeks after he helped lead a record-breaking fundraiser for the Democrat.
- Democratic voters have continued to raise concerns about Biden’s nomination since the debate, with speculations and suggestions for replacement nominees running rampant.
- Biden’s former running mate Barack Obama has reportedly been trying to pressure him to drop out, and had prior knowledge of Clooney’s op-ed. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi allegedly told Biden he could not beat former President Donald Trump this time around.
- As the Democratic National Convention approaches, California delegates for the Democratic Party are reportedly in disarray as debate over the president’s chances of re-election threatens to tear the party apart.
- However, the Biden campaign has denied any plans for Biden to bow out and for Kamala Harris to step in as the Democratic nominee. Sources close to the president believe he might not be willing to drop out, while other sources claim he is “receptive” to giving up on a second term.
“Many military personnel experience neurological issues related to their service, and Dr. Cannard regularly visits the WHMU as part of this General Neurology practice.”
The physician and other White House officials, however, did not say if Cannard’s visits included consulting on Biden’s health when he didn’t see the president directly.
Biden’s cognitive health has been under intense scrutiny by both Republicans and Democrats since he bombed in the debate against former President Donald Trump, 78, last month.
Doctors who have not examined or treated Biden themselves said his disastrous debate performance — punctuated by blank stares, a shuffling gait, soft speech and slurred words — aligns with common symptoms of Parkinson’s or related cognitive disorders.
Dr. Rob Howard, a professor of old age psychiatry at University College London, said the president’s “fluctuation in attentional function, his facial appearance, and his gait” during the debate stood out to him as possible signs that something was off.
“I am not saying it’s Parkinson’s disease, I am just pointing out that there are features to him that are consistent with Parkinson’s disease,” he said.
Biden’s team of doctors disputed the claims and said they found no reason to re-examine him since his annual in February.
