As White House tries to prove Biden's fitness, visitor logs reveal Parkinson's expert stopped by 8 times

The age-old question is once again making headlines: Does Biden suffer from Parkinson’s disease or not? With the US Presidential elections just around the corner, the concerns over Joe Biden’s health have gained momentum with the inner circles in the Democratic now getting sceptical about the president’s rerun.

Adding fuel to the fire, visitor logs at the White House show that an expert on Parkinson’s Disease visited the US president’s official residence eight times in eight months, according to a report by The New York Times. The expert from Walter Reed National Military Medical Center met Biden’s physician at least once during one of his visits.

The records were released by the White House after Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre categorically denied claims that US President Joe Biden has the disease. They show that the expert, Dr Kevin Cannard, a neurologist who specialises in movement disorders, came to the White House from July 2023 through March 2024.

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White House releases letter

To assuage fears about Biden’s health at the age of 81 years, the White House has released a letter from Biden’s physician Dr Kevin O’Connor where he said that Dr Cannard obtained permission to visit the White House.

“Dr. Cannard was the neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals. His findings have been made public each time I have released the results of the President’s annual physical. President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical,” O’Connor said adding that Cannard has been a neurology consultant at the White House since 2012.

Biden’s physician added, “The results of this year’s exam were detailed in my February 28th letter: ‘An extremely detailed neurologic exam was again reassuring in that there were no findings which would be consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s, or ascending lateral sclerosis.”

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Meanwhile, the White House Press Secretary has been back and forth with reporters who have, time and again, raised concerns over the president’s health.

White House reply to NYT report

Biden is not being treated for Parkinson’s disease and has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physicals, the White House said on Monday.

White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre refused to confirm or elaborate on Cannard’s visits earlier in the day. At the media briefing, she was frequently challenged by reporters and said she wanted to respect the privacy of all involved for security reasons.

She said Biden had seen a neurologist three times connected to his annual physical exam. She did not explain Cannard’s presence at the White House but suggested it might be connected to treating some of the military personnel who work at the White House complex.

“There are thousands of military personnel that come to the White House and they are under the care of the medical unit,” she said.

With inputs from agencies