Joe Biden is not being treated for Parkinson’s disease, the White House said, following reports that a specialist doctor had visited the US president several times over the past year.
Concerns about the president’s health have increased since Biden’s arrival. poor performance in his debate with Donald Trump – Democrats described the US president’s performance as an “absolute disaster”, “a meltdown” and “a slow-motion car accident.”
Hours before White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Monday that Biden was not receiving treatment for Parkinson’s, the 81-year-old president sent a letter to Democrats in Congress saying that “is not blind” to concerns about his age. .
However, he said he would not abandon the presidential race and urged the party to “come together” to defeat Trump.
According to The New York Times, White House visitor records show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who specializes in movement disorders and recently published a paper on Parkinson’s, has visited the White House eight times since last summer. until spring of this year.
Sky News’ US partner NBC News confirmed that a Parkinson’s expert from Walter Reed Hospital visited the White House at least eight times over an eight-month period, according to public visitor records.
One of them included a January meeting with Biden’s personal physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor. The nature and purpose of these meetings were unclear.
Jean-Pierre declined to confirm Dr. Cannard’s visit, citing privacy reasons.
But he said the president had seen a neurologist three times in connection with his annual physical exams.
Jean-Pierre told reporters that neurologists said they had found “no finding” that was consistent with any “central neurological disorder such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis.”
“That’s from February.”
The White House press secretary later told reporters: “Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? – No.
“Are you being treated for Parkinson’s? – No, you’re not.
“Are you taking medication for Parkinson’s? – No.
“Those are the things I can give you complete answers about.”
White House spokesman Andrew Bates added: “A wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel working in the field.”
Meanwhile, U.S. Rep. Adam Smith, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, used an interview with CNN on Monday to call on Biden to drop out of the presidential race.
It comes after even some of Biden’s closest political allies, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, have raised questions about his health.
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