Experts uncover telltale signs of Biden's frail health in his Oval Office speech about exiting 2024 race

WASHINGTON, DC: President Joe Biden's recent address to the nation has sparked discussions among medical professionals regarding his health. The speech lasted only 11 minutes and was entirely read from a teleprompter.

The reliance on a teleprompter makes it difficult to assess Biden's mental and physical well-being definitively. The brevity of the speech was noted as an important factor in the analysis.

Experts talk about telltale signs of Biden's cognitive decline

Virginia neurologist Dr W Chris Winter observed Biden's blink rate during the address. He noted that the president blinked fewer than 10 times per minute, significantly lower than the average of 15 to 20 blinks per minute most people exhibit. In comparison, Winter counted the blink rates of ABC correspondents and guests, which ranged from 30 to 60 blinks per minute.

"I was counting the blink rate of all the ABC correspondents and guests before [the address] and they ranged from 30 to 60 per minute," he told the Daily Mail.

"Low blink rate can be a sign of Parkinson's Disease," Dr Winter explained, noting that it is an early indicator of the condition. This aligns with previous concerns from medical experts about Biden's cognitive health, with some suggesting he might be experiencing early-stage Parkinson's Disease.

Dr Ernst von Schwarz, a cardiologist from California, identified several behaviors in Biden that could indicate cognitive decline. These included a dry mouth, fixed stare, and minimal hand movements and gestures. Such signs could be attributed to his age or a neurodegenerative condition like dementia.

However, Dr Von Schwarz also mentioned that these symptoms could result from medication.

"Keep in mind that there are ways to improve someone’s speech by medical intervention," he noted. "The use of medications such as psychostimulants (like Adderall or Ritalin among others) is very common for many to take just before lectures or presentations or official tasks since they increase dopamine availability in the brain."

"This can then temporarily modify the trajectory of cognitive decline and improve speech, attention, and the capability to communicate. I am not saying that President Biden is on stimulants but it would not be that unusual to use," Schwarz added.

Biden’s address came after his unexpected announcement to withdraw from the presidential race, which reportedly surprised even his close team. Despite having nearly four days to prepare, the president made several errors during his speech and, at times, spoke so quietly that white noise was audible in the broadcast.

Dr Winter pointed out that a low voice is another warning sign of Parkinson's Disease. He suggested that the technicians might have turned up Biden's microphones due to his quiet speech, leading to increased background noise.

Medical experts also commented on Biden's appearance during the address. They noted his heavy makeup, which gave him an unusually orange complexion. This was likely an attempt to mask his pale skin, which may have worsened due to a recent bout with Covid-19.

"Clearly there was lots of makeup. I think he is probably very pale; you could see it on the neckline," Dr von Schwarz remarked. "They put a lot of makeup on him to make him look healthy, but obviously he is not. He is very frail in my opinion."

Doctors say Biden's health 'no worse' than previous months

Despite the concerns raised, both Dr Winter and Dr von Schwarz agreed that Biden appeared "no worse" than in previous months, indicating that while there might be a decline in his health, it does not yet require urgent medical attention.

Dr von Schwarz emphasized that reading from a teleprompter is not a reliable measure of intellectual capacity, as it merely involves repetition.

"He was reading from a teleprompter which is just a repetition technique, which makes it hard to measure his intellectual capability. But anyone can do that, you don't need to be a genius to do so. A practiced speech read from a teleprompter is not proof for full mental or intellectual capacity," Schwarz explained.

Dr Winter said, "Overall, I thought he did well. He could sit there, talk with conviction, there was cadence in his voice - I don't know if it proves anything but it certainly doesn't continue to show a [rapid] decline." He added, "If that had happened three weeks ago, I don't think anyone would have said they had lost confidence in Biden."

Dr von Schwarz concluded by stressing the need for President Biden to receive more rest, support, and appropriate medical attention. As a cardiologist and aging researcher, he noted that Biden, being an octogenarian, deserves consideration for his age and health condition.

"In general, of course, I would have expected a good, sound, and intelligible speech from President Biden today, and he did well. From my point of view of dealing daily with the elderly as a cardiologist and aging researcher, I think President Biden is an octogenarian... who deserves to get more rest, support, and appropriate medical attention," Schwarz said.