A Parkinson's expert visited the White House several times last 12 months, including meeting with President Joe Biden's personal physician in January, NBC News confirmed Monday.
Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist specializing in Parkinson's disease, visited the White House a minimum of eight times in eight months, in response to public visitor logs through March. Several news outlets had previously reported on the doctor's visits.
The transcripts didn’t indicate why Cannard was on the White House, who he planned to satisfy there, or whether Biden was present during his visits.
Biden’s physical fitness has been a persistent public concern throughout his term in office. But those worries changed into full-blown panic when 51 million Viewers watched him stammer his way through the controversy against former President Donald Trump in June.
Responding to reports of Cannard's visits, White House spokesman Andrew Bates said Biden's medical exams “have shown no evidence of Parkinson's disease and he is not being treated for it.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre didn’t provide any further information in regards to the Parkinson's patients' doctor visits during Monday's press conference.
“For security reasons, we cannot share names,” Jean-Pierre said, although Cannard’s name was included in the general public records.
“It doesn't matter how much pressure you put on me. It doesn't matter how angry you get at me. I'm not going to confirm a name. It doesn't matter if it's even on the record. I'm not going to do that from here. That's not something I'm going to do,” she said.
'Go nowhere'
On Monday morning, Biden defended his place at the highest of the Democratic list in a surprise television broadcast interview on MSNBC's “Morning Joe” and on a conference call with Democratic donors.
“I'm not going anywhere,” Biden said within the televised phone interview. “I am absolutely convinced that I am the best candidate to beat Donald Trump in 2024.”
Since Biden's disastrous performance on the June 27 debate, several Democratic donors have been raising alarms about whether he can beat Trump in November.
“I'm so frustrated with the elites in the party who are calling for his resignation,” the president ranted on MSNBC. “I don't care what the millionaires think.”
Biden stressed to moderators Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski that the concerns of his wealthy supporters wouldn’t determine his political future.
“I want their support, but that's not why I'm running,” Biden said. “I'm not running because they care about what they think and what they care about. And by the way, you don't see many of them turning their backs on Trump. You don't see many CEOs turning their backs on Trump.”
“I'm not going to explain any further what I should or shouldn't do,” the president added defiantly. “I'm running. I'm running.”
Concern amongst Democrats on Capitol Hill
Biden's surprise appearance on MSNBC got here after a weekend during which his political wounds looked as if it would hurt even deeper. Despite his campaign's efforts to stop the injuries from spreading, a growing variety of politicians, donors and strategists have voiced their doubts publicly.
On Monday, several Democratic senators issued an ultimatum to the president to prove to the general public that he has what it takes to defeat Trump and secure a second term.
“President Biden must prove to the American people – including me – that he is fit for another four years in office. In the meantime, I will continue to do what I have always done: stand up to President Biden when he is wrong and protect our Montana way of life,” Senator Jon Tester (D-Montana) said in a press release to NBC News.
Senator Martin Heinrich, D-N.M., echoed that warning in his own statement: “President Biden must continue to demonstrate that his debate performance was simply a bad night and that he has a clear path to defeat Donald Trump.”
Senator Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) said Monday in Youngstown that his constituents have “legitimate questions about whether the president should continue his campaign, and I will continue to listen to people.”
The flood of comments got here after the cancellation a gathering of Democratic senators on Monday, reportedly organized by Senator Mark Warner (D-Virginia), to debate Biden's concerns about his re-election.
Warner echoed his colleagues on Monday: “It is the president's duty to make his case more aggressively to the American people.”
On the opposite side of Capitol Hill, the pressure to quit Congress has grown even greater.
During a gathering of senior Democrats within the House of Representatives on Sunday, 4 other top Democrats told party chairman Hakeem Jeffries of New York that Biden should drop out of the 2024 presidential race, in response to NBC News: Representatives Adam Smith (Washington), Jerry Nadler (New York), Mark Takano (California) and Joe Morelle (New York).
They joined five other Democrats within the House who publicly called on Biden to resign last week, including Democrat Angie Craig of Minnesota, who announced her position on Saturday.
On Monday, as all of them returned to Washington after the Christmas break, Biden sent a letter to congressional Democrats reiterating his commitment to remain within the race for the 2024 presidential election.
“The question of how to proceed has been debated at length for over a week. And it is time to stop,” Biden wrote within the letter. “Any weakening of resolve or lack of clarity about the task ahead only helps Trump and hurts us.”
Damage control
Last week, Biden held several meetings and phone calls with Democratic lawmakers and allies, including former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Rep. Jim Clyburn, D-S.C., House Minority Leader Jeffries and Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.
Last Friday, Biden also gave a 22-minute interview to ABC News' George Stephanopoulos, which apparently didn’t allay Democrats' fears.
Next week, Biden shall be busy with meetings for the NATO summit in Washington, where he has a dual mandate: to unite foreign allies within the fight for support for Ukraine and to allay Democratic Party concerns about his re-election.
Biden is scheduled to carry a press conference on Thursday, where all eyes shall be on whether the president can redeem himself in a relaxed atmosphere and with difficult questions. Biden can also be expected to make more phone calls to lawmakers in the approaching days to reassure them.
Some politicians see the approaching week as a vital moment for the fate of Biden's campaign.
“The clock is ticking,” Senator Chris Murphy (D-Connecticut), a detailed ally of the president, said Sunday on CNN's “State of the Union.” “This is going to be a really important and decisive week for the country and the president.”
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