根据白宫的访客记录，一名帕金森病问题专家在去年7月至今年3月的八个月时间里访问了白宫八次，包括一次拜访总统的私人医生。
这位名叫凯文·坎纳德的医生是一名神经学家和“运动障碍专家”，他在沃尔特·里德国家军事医学中心工作。根据日志，在2023年7月之前，他只去过一次白宫——在2022年11月。
白宫不愿证实他是否在为总统的个人护理提供建议，只是在一份声明中表示，“沃尔特·里德系统的各种专家访问了白宫综合大楼，为数千名在地面上工作的军事人员提供治疗。”
在周一的新闻发布会上，白宫新闻秘书卡琳·让·皮埃尔被反复问及，以隐私为由，拒绝透露这位神经科医生是否曾为总统治疗或咨询过他的护理，但他确实表示，拜登没有因帕金森病而接受治疗。
美国广播公司首席白宫记者玛丽·布鲁斯催促让·皮埃尔报道坎纳德与总统私人医生凯文·奥康纳博士的会面。
“你拒绝说他是来评估总统还是来咨询总统的健康状况。那么，那次会议是关于什么的?”布鲁斯问。
Jean-Pierre说她不会详细说明这次会面,“因为我们不会确认或谈论你提供给我的名字。是出于安全考虑。”
据报道，作为年度体检的一部分，总统接受了一名神经科医生的评估，他没有发现帕金森氏症的迹象奥康纳二月发布的摘要.
“一项极其详细的神经病学检查再次令人放心，因为没有发现任何小脑或其他中枢神经系统疾病，如中风、多发性硬化、帕金森氏病或上行性侧索硬化，也没有任何脊髓型颈椎病的迹象，”他的报告说。
总体而言二月报告81岁的拜登表示，他继续“适合履行职责，并完全履行他的所有职责，没有任何豁免或通融。”
让-皮埃尔在新闻发布会上反复提到拜登之前的三次体检，并大声朗读了2月份的报告，报告称没有发现与帕金森或其他神经疾病相符的结果。
“那么，在这里给你一些答案，总统接受过帕金森氏症的治疗吗?不，”让-皮埃尔星期一说。“他正在接受帕金森病治疗吗?不，他不是。他在服用帕金森氏综合症的药物吗?没有。所以，这些是我可以给你完整答案的事情。”
总统坚持认为他的医生没有建议进行任何认知测试在ABC新闻的乔治·斯特凡诺普洛斯的独家采访中他每天都通过认知测试。
“我每天都有这样的测试，”拜登说。“我做的一切。你知道，我不仅在竞选，而且在统治世界。这听起来有点夸张，但我们是世界上不可或缺的国家。”
斯特凡诺普洛斯一再追问拜登是否愿意接受认知测试并公开发布结果，但拜登拒绝承诺采取这样的行动。
“看我的，在这场竞选中还有很多时间，”总统说。
拜登政府的一名非正式顾问一直在与北约领导人交谈，他表示，随着北约领导人本周来到华盛顿，拜登将在世界舞台上受到密切关注，一些人对总统在未来四年管理这个国家的能力深感担忧。
“他越来越慢了;他听力不好。他很难接受。他没有以前的精力了，”消息人士说。“他们担心总统管理总统日程的能力。你必须时时刻刻保持活跃。今天的拜登不是这样。”
Parkinson's expert visited White House 8 times in 8 months, met with Biden's doctor
An expert on Parkinson's disease visited the White House eight times over an eight-month span between last July and March of this year, including one visit with the president's personal physician, according to White House visitor logs.
The doctor, Kevin Cannard, is a neurologist and "movement disorders specialist" who works at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. According to the logs, prior to July 2023 he had visited the White House only once -- in November 2022.
The White House would not confirm if he was advising on the president's personal care, saying only in a statement "a wide variety of specialists from the Walter Reed system visit the White House complex to treat thousands of military personnel who work on the grounds."
Asked repeatedly at Monday's briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre refused to say if the neurologist ever treated the president or consulted on his care, citing privacy concerns, but did say Biden was not being treated for Parkinson's disease.
ABC News Chief White House Correspondent Mary Bruce pressed Jean-Pierre on reporting about Cannard's visit with the president's personal physician, Dr. Kevin O'Connor.
"You're refusing to say if he was here to evaluate the president or if he was consulting on the president's health. So, what then was that meeting about?" Bruce asked.
Jean-Pierre said she would not elaborate on the meeting "because we will not confirm or speak to names that you're providing to me. It is out of security."
As part of his annual physical exam, the president was evaluated by a neurologist who found no signs of Parkinson's, according toa summary O'Connor released in February.
"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, nor are there any signs of cervical myelopathy," his report states.
Overall, theFebruary reportstated Biden, 81, continued to be "fit for duty and fully executes all of his responsibilities without any exemptions or accommodations."
Jean-Pierre repeatedly pointed to Biden's three previous physicals during the press briefing, and read aloud from the February report that said there were no findings that would be consistent with Parkinson's or another neurological disease.
"So, to give you some answers here, has the president been treated for Parkinson's? No," Jean-Pierre said on Monday. "Is he being treated for Parkinson's? No, he's not. Is he taking medication for Parkinson's? No. So, those are the things that I can give you full-blown answers on."
The president has been adamant that his doctors have not recommended any cognitive testing, insistingin an exclusive interview with ABC News' George Stephanopoulosthat he passes a cognitive test every day.
"Every day I have that test," Biden said. "Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I'm running the world. Not -- and that's not hi-- sounds like hyperbole, but we are the essential nation of the world."
Stephanopoulos pressed Biden repeatedly if he would be willing to take a cognitive test and release the results publicly, but Biden declined to commit to such a course of action.
"Watch me between -- there's a lotta time left in this campaign," the president said.
Biden will be closely watched on the world stage this week as NATO leaders come to Washington, and some are deeply concerned about the president's ability to run the country for another four years, according to an informal adviser to the Biden administration who has been speaking to NATO leaders.
"He's getting slower; he's having a harder time hearing; he's having a harder time processing; He doesn't have the energy he used to," the source said. "They're concerned about the president's ability to run a presidential schedule. You've got to be 'on' all of the time. Biden today is not that."
