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WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden’s poor performance in the June 27 presidential debate raised concerns about his age, health and ability to lead the U.S. government.
Administration officials said his confusing and sometimes incomprehensible answers during a debate with Republican Donald Trump were caused by the cold, jet lag and poor preparation at Camp David.
But Biden, 81, realized ahead of the November election that his health was critical to many voters.
After White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre struggled to answer questions about the president’s health during a press briefing on Monday, Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, issued his first statement since the debate.
- How often does the president see a doctor?
Jean-Pierre noted that Biden receives extensive physicals every year. He also said most Americans don’t understand the scale of the medical care provided to the president, as many are lucky if they see a doctor once or twice a year. In contrast, the president’s medical unit is “just steps away from the residence” at the White House. Jean-Pierre said Biden “checks in verbally with his doctor while he works out” “several times a week,” and said he had a checkup on Monday.
After the debate, there was confusion about whether Biden had seen a doctor for his cold. The White House initially said no physical exam was conducted, but later said a “brief verbal review” was conducted and it was determined that no test was necessary.
- Has the president consulted a neurologist?
“He’s been to the neurologist three times,” Jean-Pierre said. “That’s it.”
A White House spokesman repeated the word “three times” 17 times at a press conference on Monday. He stressed that the three consultations with the neurologist were related to the president’s annual physical examination. But Jean-Pierre refused to say where Biden met the neurologist, whether the consultation took place at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center or elsewhere. “I have nothing to say about the location,” he said.
- Did Biden’s physical exam reveal signs of Parkinson’s disease or other neurological conditions?
According to the president’s most recent medical report, released in February, No. Jean-Pierre referred to the document in response to a reporter’s question on Monday.
The letter said the “extremely detailed neurological examination was once again reassuring” because there were no findings consistent with a stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. No tremors or “motor weakness” were found, the letter said. The letter, written by Biden’s physician, O’Connor, added that Biden “exhibited excellent fine motor skills.”
- Why would a neurologist who specializes in Parkinson’s disease visit the White House?
Visitor records show that Dr. Kevin Canard, a neurologist who conducts research on Parkinson’s disease, visited the White House eight times between July 2023 and March last year.
Jean-Pierre declined to confirm the doctor’s name or say why he came to the White House. He told reporters it was for security reasons, noting that the White House Medical Unit cares for people other than the president. “There are thousands of military personnel who come to the White House,” Jean-Pierre said. “Many of them receive medical care from the White House Medical Unit, so we need to be very careful.”
Jean-Pierre encourages viewers to “connect the dots.”
Hours later Monday, O’Connor released a letter with Biden and Canard’s permission and confirmed that Canard was the neurologist who examined the president in each of the three physicals he underwent after being elected.
But O said most of Canard’s visits to the White House were part of his role as a specialist in the White House Medical Unit, where he treated patients with a variety of neurological problems.
Karnad made similar visits during President Barack Obama’s administration and during the Trump administration, which did not release records of the visits, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Canard did visit Biden’s personal physician at the White House residence clinic in January, just weeks before the president’s February physical. O’Connor reiterated that the exam found no signs of any neurological disease.
“President Biden has not seen a neurologist beyond his annual physical,” O’Connor said in the letter.
- Can Biden disclose his entire medical history to the public?
Jean-Pierre was asked during a news conference Monday whether Biden could choose to release his full medical records. He said the president “shared a very detailed comprehensive medical report” consistent with what former Presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush provided. In 2018, Sen. John McCain allowed reporters access to more than 1,100 pages of medical records when he ran for president at age 71, which would have made him the oldest person elected at the time.
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