In a heated exchange with reporters, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre firmly denied rumors that President Joe Biden is being treated for Parkinson’s disease . The press briefing was dominated by inquiries about the president’s health following reports of multiple visits by Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist specializing in Parkinson’s, to the White House, per HuffPost .
Jean-Pierre clarified that Biden is not being treated for Parkinson’s, emphasizing that his February medical examination showed no signs of the disease. “The president is not being treated for the neurodegenerative disease,” Jean-Pierre stated, “and his medical exam in February found no evidence of it.”
Tensions escalated when Jean-Pierre refused to confirm Dr. Cannard’s visits, despite the information being in the visitor logs. CBS News correspondent Ed O’Keefe pressed Jean-Pierre to confirm whether Dr. Cannard’s visits were related to treating the president, per Washington Examiner . “It doesn’t matter how hard you push me, it doesn’t matter how angry you get with me, I’m not going to confirm a name,” Jean-Pierre responded. “What I can share with you is the president has seen a neurologist for his physical three times.”
The White House sought to downplay the significance of the visits, with spokesperson Andrew Bates noting, “A wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat the thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds.” During the press conference, Jean-Pierre repeatedly emphasized that the president has never been treated for Parkinson’s disease. “Has the president been treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he being treated for Parkinson’s? No. Is he taking medication for Parkinson’s? No,” she declared.
Reporters continued to challenge Jean-Pierre, questioning the transparency of the administration’s communications about Biden’s health. Reuters’ Andrea Shalal asked for further clarification on Dr. Cannard’s visits, leading Jean-Pierre to accuse the press of making “personal attacks” on the White House. “To say that I’m withholding information or allude to anything else is not unfair. It’s really, really unfair,” Jean-Pierre said. “And I will admit I will be the first one to admit, sometimes I get it wrong. At least I admit that. At least I admit that. And sometimes I don’t have the information. And I will always admit that. But I do take offense to what was just happening at the beginning of this briefing. It’s not okay.”
Maybe this is why a Parkinson’s expert visited the White House a bunch of times. Also from the @NYTimes own reporting: “Dr. Cannard made at least 10 visits in 2012 plus a family tour; four in 2013; one in 2014; four in 2015; and eight in 2016.” https://t.co/yxQ4YDHmi9 pic.twitter.com/9UHwM5cCNE
— Bob Cesca (@bobcesca_go) July 8, 2024
Questions about Biden’s cognitive and physical health persist, especially after his recent debate performance against Donald Trump , where he appeared confused and stumbled over his words. White House physician Kevin O’Connor released a letter shortly after the fiery exchange, per Axios .
NEW The White House has released this letter from the President’s Physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor about the multiple visits to the White House by Dr. Kevin Cannard, an expert on Parkinson’s and other movement disorders. pic.twitter.com/WtXxS7yj7i
— Yashar Ali 🐘 (@yashar) July 9, 2024
O’Connor said the letter was being made public following “permission from the President and Dr. Cannard to confirm the details I am sharing,” affirming no signs of Parkinson’s disease were found during Biden’s physical in February. Cannard “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 operation,” O’Connor noted.
