Records reveal Parkinson’s expert met with Biden’s doctor at the White House earlier this year

WASHINGTON, DC: A renowned Parkinson’s disease specialist, Dr Kevin Cannard, held a meeting with President Joe Biden’s physician, Dr Kevin O’Connor, at the White House earlier this year, according to records.

The exact reasons for the meeting are still unclear. According to the White House visitor logs, Dr Cannard, a neurologist at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, met with Dr O’Connor in mid-January.

Dr Cannard's visits to the White House clarified amid speculation on President's health

Dr Cannard has visited the White House three times this year, according to visitor logs. He met with Dr O’Connor on January 17 and later with another staff member on January 26 and March 28.

Over the past year, Dr Cannard has been to the White House at least eight times, with his visits beginning in late July 2023 and the most recent on March 28. The January 17 meeting is the only one that specifically lists Dr O’Connor as the person he met.

Dr Kevin O’Connor, President Biden’s physician, released a letter on Monday night providing some context to Dr Cannard’s visits to the White House.

This followed several days of speculation about the president's health. Dr O'Connor stressed that "President Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physical."

“Prior to the pandemic, and following its end, he 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 operations,” he wrote of Cannard, adding, “Many military personnel experience neurological issues related to their service, and Dr Cannard regularly visits the WHMU as part of this General Neurology practice.”

Dr O’Connor also clarified that Dr Cannard is the “neurological specialist that examined President Biden for each of his annual physicals.” The findings from these examinations were included in the publicly released results of the President’s physicals.

When asked about the visits, White House spokesperson Andrew Bates said, “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.”

Bates clarified that a neurologist visits the White House annually for President Biden's physical and reiterated that Biden has not seen a neurologist outside of this context during his presidency.

Karine Jean-Pierre spars with reporters

Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre later affirmed that Joe Biden had been examined by a neurologist three times during his presidency, once during each of his physicals, but declined to name the specialists or explain why Dr Cannard had visited the White House eight times in the past year.

She cited security reasons for not disclosing the specialist’s name, even though publicly available profiles identify Dr Cannard as a neurology specialist supporting the White House Medical Unit.

“I am not sharing, confirming names from here,” she said during the contentious news briefing as she deflected questions about the president’s health. “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, it doesn’t matter if it’s even in the log, I am not going to do that from here.”

Dr Cannard, who has over a decade of experience as a neurologist at Walter Reed, has visited the White House several times, though the visitor logs do not specify the reasons for these visits or whether they were related to President Biden or other White House personnel.

President Biden’s latest health report, released by Dr O’Connor, stated that Biden had been screened for several neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s, with negative results. This information was consistent with two other physical reports during Biden’s presidency.

Examination and findings

Dr O’Connor’s six-page letter, released after Joe Biden’s last physical in February, mentioned that several specialists, including a neurological specialist, were consulted. The letter noted that a team of specialists, including an unnamed movement-disorder neurologist, reviewed Biden’s stiffened gait, first observed during his November 2021 physical.

The team concluded that Biden’s stiff gait resulted from “wear and tear” on his spine and not a neurological condition. An “extremely detailed” examination found no evidence of Parkinson’s, multiple sclerosis, or other neurological disorders.

The visit by Dr Cannard has drawn attention as Biden’s age, fitness, and mental acuity have been intensely scrutinized, particularly following his faltering performance in the June 27 presidential debate against former President Donald Trump.

Since the debate, questions have arisen regarding Biden's ability to govern if reelected. The White House and Biden himself have frequently addressed inquiries about medical tests and doctor visits in the months before and after the debate.

President Biden's responses

In an ABC interview, Joe Biden addressed questions about cognitive capability tests, saying that he is regularly seen by White House doctors and added, “No one said I had to … they said I’m good.”

Biden also mentioned that he spoke with his doctor, who told him, “You’re exhausted.” Biden said, “Being president” means “I get a full neurological test every day.”

During a Monday morning interview with MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski, Biden was specifically asked about recent tests for Parkinson’s. “Have you been tested for any age-related illness, pre-Parkinson’s or anything like that, that might explain sort of having a night like that where you couldn’t finish sentences?” Brzezinski asked.

Biden confirmed that he had been tested, adding, “I was feeling so badly 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 clear.”

The White House initially stated that Biden wasn’t seen by a doctor after the debate but later reversed this statement, confirming that Biden underwent a medical checkup and is fine, CNN reported.