Fox News White House correspondent Peter Doocy confronted White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on the signs indicating President Joe Biden’s cognitive decline.
The president’s health has come into serious question since the June 27 debate where he spoke with a raspy voice and stuttered repeatedly, causing many prominent Democrats and voters to question his ability to serve a second term. The president has committed to remaining in the race. Biden has said he did not feel well on debate night and his staffers blamed his performance on a cold.
“We know the president says that his health is fine, but it’s just his brain, and that he’s as sharp as before —” Doocy said.
“He was joking, by the way,” Jean-Pierre interjected. “I just want to make sure that that’s out there. And people —”
“What’s the joke?” he asked.
“He was making a light-hearted joke. He was speaking off the cuff and was making the joke. You know the president, he likes to joke a lot. He’s the same president who says I know I look 40, right? So, he likes to make jokes. It is a joke. I think people laugh when he says it,” she added.
Peter Doocy Confronts KJP On Several Signs Of Biden’s Declining Cognitive Health pic.twitter.com/SCkUxxdz0R
— Daily Caller (@DailyCaller) July 9, 2024
Doocy quoted the president saying he is “sharpest before 8 p.m.,” pondering how he can handle a crisis happening after that time. The press secretary assured the correspondent that Biden has a team who immediately notify him of any crisis or emergency situation at all times of the day. He then quoted former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, who said First Lady Jill Biden was present at meetings taking place in the Oval Office. (RELATED: Briefing Erupts After Multiple Reporters Bombard KJP With Questions About Neurologist Visiting White House)
“When the First Lady is in these meetings, is she making decisions or is she just advising the president?” Doocy asked.
“No, the president is the President of the United States, he makes decisions,” the press secretary said.
He further asked about Hunter Biden’s reported appearance at meetings around the time they traveled to Camp David before the June 27 debate. Jean-Pierre defended Biden’s presence by saying he is “very close with his family” and thus they walked in together for the meeting.
“Are you guys just not, since February, testing President Biden for Parkinson’s or dementia, because if he gets a bad result, it’s all over that day,” Doocy said.
“Again, as I’ve said many times before, the president has had a full-some, comprehensive — what we said, what we shared with you was comprehensive but he has had a full physical,” the press secretary said. “We’ve shown the results of those physicals these past three years. We showed it just four months ago, and it’s in line with what we have done with President Obama, similar to George W. Bush. We are committed to continue to be transparent, we are committed to continue to show the results of those physicals and — look, it’s the president’s medical team that makes the decision. With all due respect, you’re not a doctor, I’m not a doctor. It’s the president’s medical unit that make a decision on what the president needs.”
The Fox News correspondent suggested Biden’s family should encourage him to get mentally evaluated following his performance at the debate. The press secretary reiterated her assertions that he suffered from a cold and simply has a “bad night.” (RELATED: Even As Riled Up As They Are, No One In The White House Press Is Willing To Call KJP A Liar)
White House logs revealed that a neurologist and movement disorder specialist, Dr. Kevin Cannard, visited the White House eight times between July 2023 and March 2024, The New York Times reported. The Parkinson’s disease expert met with Biden’s physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, and two other people at the White House residence clinic on Jan. 17, the logs show, according to the New York Post. One of the two others was reportedly identified as Walter Reed cardiologist Dr. John E. Atwood while the fourth remains unknown.
Dr. Tim Pitts, a lifelong Democrat who serves as a specialist in Parkinson’s disease, told NBC News that Biden shows clear indications of the neurological disorder.
