A leading expert on Parkinson’s disease had a meeting with US President Joe Biden’s doctor at the White House earlier this year, according to records, although the circumstances of the meeting are unclear.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, met with White House physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor in mid-January, according to White House visitor logs.
Asked about the visit, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said: “A wide range of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work there.”
Those visits include one from a neurologist every year for Biden’s physical exam, Bates highlighted. The president did not consult a neurologist during his presidency beyond the context of the annual physical, he added.
Cannard, who worked as a neurologist for Walter Reed for more than a decade, visited the White House several times, according to visitor logs, which do not detail the reasons for the visit.
The data also does not indicate whether Cannard was making the visit for Biden or someone else who works in the White House.
White House medical report
Joe Biden’s latest health report, released by O’Connor, indicated that the president had been examined for a number of neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s, with negative results, as did two other physical reports from Biden’s time as president.
O’Connor’s six-page document, released after the president underwent his last physical exam in February, says several experts were consulted about the physical exam, including a neurology expert.
The report also highlights that O’Connor called in several experts, including an unnamed neurological movement disorder expert, to analyze Biden’s stiff gait, which had been noted since the November 2021 physical exam.
That team concluded that Biden’s stiff gait was the result of “wear and tear” on his spine and not a neurological condition, O’Connor wrote.
An “extremely detailed” examination resulted in no findings consistent with Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis or other neurological disorders.
Biden’s fitness is questioned
News of Cannard’s visit comes as Joe Biden’s age, physical fitness and mental acuity are under intense scrutiny following his poor performance in the US presidential debate. CNN, held on June 27, against former president Donald Trump.
In the 11 days since then, Biden has had to defend his position at the top of the Democratic ticket and his ability to govern for another four years if reelected.
Both the White House and the Democrat were asked several times about tests and medical appointments in the months before the debate and in the moments after.
Biden was asked in an interview with ABC on Friday (5) whether he had taken specific tests for cognitive ability.
The president responded that he is regularly seen by White House doctors and added: “No one said I had to… they said I’m fine.”
The head of state also added that he spoke to his doctor and was told: “You are exhausted.”
Biden then said that “being president” means “I get a full neurological test every day.”
Biden confirms Parkinson’s test
During an interview with Biden this Monday morning, MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski specifically asked if he had been recently tested for Parkinson’s. Biden confirmed yes.
“Have you been tested for any age-related illness, pre-Parkinson’s or something like that, that could explain a night like that when you couldn’t finish your sentences?” asked the presenter.
Biden laughed before responding: “I’ve done it before.”
The president added: “I was feeling so bad before the debate, when I came back, they tested me for… I thought maybe I had Covid, maybe there was something wrong, I had an infection or something. They tested me, they gave me those tests, I was clean.”
The White House and the Biden campaign blamed Biden’s poor performance during the debate on a busy travel schedule in previous weeks and a cold. The president went to France to celebrate the anniversary of D-Day and to Italy to participate in the G7.
The White House initially said Biden was not seen by a doctor after the debate, but backtracked after Biden told a group of governors during a meeting last week that he underwent a medical check-up after the debate and was fine. .
*Arlette Saenz, from CNN, contributed to this report
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