Biden saw neurologist during physicals

President Joe Biden and Jill Biden leave presidential helicopter

Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist, visited the White House eight times since July 2023

(Image credit: Saul Loeb / AFP via Getty Images)

published 9 July 2024

What next?

President Joe Biden has seen a neurologist three times during his presidency, but not "outside of his annual physical," presidential physician Dr. Kevin O'Connor said in a letter the White House released Monday night.

Who said what

Visitor logs show that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a longtime neurologist at Walter Reed who has researched Parkinson's disease, visited the White House eight times since July 2023. Weekend reports about those visits, in the aftermath of Biden's bad debate performance, prompted aggressive questioning about the president's health during Monday's White House press briefing.

O'Connor said Cannard's most recent "extremely detailed neurological exam" of Biden in January showed no findings consistent with a "stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's," or any other cerebellar or central neurological disorders. He said Cannard, the on-call White House neurologist since 2012, mostly visits the building to care for staff, not the president.

Cannard visited the White House more than a dozen times during the Obama and Trump administrations, The Associated Press said. "As the unit's neurology consultant, Cannard often administered Botox shots to treat migraines, particularly to high-level Trump officials," The Washington Post said.

What next?

The White House said there has been "no reason to conduct further examination" since Biden's annual check-up in February, The New York Times said.

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Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.