He White House On Monday he said that the president Joe Biden was not receiving treatment for Parkinson’s disease during a bad-tempered press conference when officials were accused of withholding his medical details.
Press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre at times struggled to make herself heard amid a cacophony of questions about the 81-year-old president’s health.
She confirmed he had been examined three times by a neurologist, but declined to say why a Parkinson’s disease specialist visited the White House eight times in eight months, citing privacy and security concerns.
But that simply triggered a flurry of questions from the usually docile front row of journalists wanting a proper explanation.
“Ed, a little respect, please,” Jean-Pierre told CBS News White House correspondent Ed O’Keefe, who wanted to know why she was not prepared to discuss the details of Dr. Kevin Cannard’s visits when they were already a matter of public record, revealed by visitor logs.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre came under intense criticism Monday when she was accused of being less than truthful about the president’s health or his visits to the doctor.
The extraordinary scenes point to the heart of the crisis engulfing the White House and Biden’s re-election effort.
The president’s health has been under intense scrutiny since his shaky performance during his first debate with Donald Trump.
Democratic donors have urged him to step aside and make way for a younger candidate, and nine elected representatives have followed suit.
Journalists also say the White House is not being truthful with its responses.
The result was a series of questions about possible neurological diseases, such as Parkinson’s disease or hydrocephalus, and one question.
More questions arose when it emerged that Cannard visited the White House eight times, including once to meet with the president’s personal physician, over an eight-month period.
“I’m listening, guys, wait a minute,” Jean-Pierre said.
‘There’s no reason for you to come back and attack me in such an aggressive manner.
O’Keefe responded: “We’re upset here about how the information has been shared with the press corps.”
Visitor logs, published by the New York Post, the Guardian and the New York Times, reveal that Dr. Kevin Cannard, a neurologist, visited the White House repeatedly.
President Joe Biden at a campaign stop in Philadelphia on Sunday
In particular, the journalists noted that they had asked Jean-Pierre last week if the president had received “any medical examination” since his full physical in February. She replied: “We were able to speak to his doctor about that and the answer is no.”
Officials later had to clarify their response, saying that Biden had in fact been seen by his doctor after the debate.
“He did not undergo a medical examination,” he said Monday, batting away hostile questions and saying he had not intended to mislead anyone. “And I stand by that. In fact, the president still stands by that. He did undergo a verbal examination.”
At one point, Jean-Pierre tried to ask for a friendly face to intervene to rally the reporters. “Kelly O?” he asked, addressing CBS News’ Kelly O’Donnell, who is the president of the White House Correspondents’ Association.
“I’m not going to reveal anyone’s name or confirm anyone. I’m not going to do that,” he said.
“That’s to protect that person’s privacy. I’m not going to do that. No matter how much you pressure me, no matter how angry you get with me.”
President Joe Biden, 81, pulled a Trump-like stunt on Monday, joining a sympathetic television show to defend himself amid calls to step aside and challenging critics to run against him.
Biden sent a two-page letter to congressional Democrats vowing to stay in the race
Monday wasn’t supposed to be like this. It all started with the president striking a defiant tone in a letter to congressional Democrats saying he wouldn’t abandon his campaign.
He then made a surprise call to MSNBC’s “Morning Joe” to criticize elites who he said didn’t understand his support among the Democratic base.
He challenged detractors to run against him at the convention.
“I feel very frustrated by the elites. By the way, I’m not talking about you… the party elites,” he said.
“Do you know much more? If any of these guys don’t think I should run for office, let them run against me, let them announce their candidacy for president, let them challenge me at the convention.”
The president also hopes Thursday’s news conference will be an opportunity to show he can still stand up to the rigors and scrutiny of being president.