For a considerable time, many conservative commentators have expressed concerns about President Joe Biden’s physical and cognitive health, often referring to his public gaffes as “senior moments.” These concerns seemed to gain broader recognition following Biden’s recent debate performance, prompting even some traditionally left-leaning voices to question his fitness for office. This shift has led to speculations about whether the White House has not only been downplaying signs of potential cognitive decline but possibly other significant issues as well.
Visitor logs obtained by the New York Post revealed that President Joe Biden’s primary physician had multiple consultations with a specialist for Parkinson’s disease at the White House. According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, Parkinson’s disease is “a chronic neurologic condition” that “causes a gradual loss of the nerve cells in the brain that produce the neurotransmitter dopamine,” and can cause “decreased facial expression, soft speech, and difficulty swallowing.” Eventually, “postural instability develops, resulting in a slow, imbalanced shuffling gait, which can result in falls.”
On January 17, Dr. Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson’s disease specialist at Walter Reed Medical Center, convened at the White House residence clinic with Dr. Kevin O’Connor and two others, as disclosed by White House visitor logs. Dr. John E. Atwood, a cardiologist from Walter Reed, was also present at the 5 PM meeting. The identity of the fourth attendee remains undisclosed in the records. This meeting took place on the same day President Biden was actively engaged in discussions with House and Senate leaders at the White House, pushing for additional funding for Ukraine, as per his official schedule, The Post reported.
Cannard, who has been affiliated with Walter Reed for nearly two decades, specializes in neurology and has been supporting the White House Medical Unit since 2012. His expertise in Parkinson’s disease is well-documented, with his most recent research, focusing on the early stages of the disease, published in August 2023 in “Parkinsonism & Related Disorders.”
Rep. Ronny Jackson (R-Texas), who previously served as the physician to Presidents Obama and Trump, suggests that the meeting involving White House physician Kevin O’Connor likely centered on President Biden’s health. “The President feels well and this year’s physical identified no new concerns,” O’Connor wrote in his annual report on Biden’s health back in February. “He continues to be fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations.”
In 2023, O’Connor infamously described Biden as a “healthy, vigorous 80-year-old male who is fit to successfully execute the duties of the presidency,” which raised serious questions about a cover-up of Biden’s health issues. According to his February 2024 health report, Biden was given “an extremely detailed neurologic exam,” but allegedly nothing was found “consistent with any cerebellar or other central neurological disorder, such as stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s or ascending lateral sclerosis, nor are there any signs of cervical myelopathy.”
Biden has been hit with a double whammy of bad news following a horrific week for his campaign on the heels of a terrible debate performance against former President Donald Trump.
For one, the vast majority of middle-income Americans are reporting difficulties in maintaining their financial status amid prolonged periods of high inflation in the U.S. Nearly two-thirds say they are falling behind economically due to the rising cost of living, Fox Business reports, citing data from the Primerica’s Financial Security Monitor (FSM) survey for the second quarter of 2024, which polled more than 1,000 U.S. adults with incomes between $30,000 and $130,000.
Between June 8 and 11, 66% of survey respondents indicated that their income was not keeping pace with their cost of living, and 48% reported either reducing expenses or ceasing to save money in order to manage their finances. This trend aligns with findings from the National True Cost of Living Coalition, which revealed that 65% of Americans earning around 200% above the national poverty line—approximately $62,300 for a family of four, a benchmark often associated with the middle class—are experiencing financial difficulties.
“Middle-income families are continuing to make adjustments in their budgets in an attempt to manage the ongoing high cost of living,” said Glenn Williams, CEO of Primerica. “Unfortunately, their difficult decisions include the increasing use of credit cards and scaling back saving for the future, which both could negatively impact their long-term financial condition.”
The state of the economy has become the top issue this election cycle.
# # #
