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Speculation is in overdrive after the White House revealed in a letter yesterday that a specialist on Parkinson’s disease has visited Biden repeatedly since he became president.
White House representatives said the visits were routine and part of the president’s annual physical, but the letter did little to quell the rampant speculation, rumors, and many calls for Biden to drop out as concerns have raged over his physical frailty during public appearances as the election heats up.
In the first presidential debate, for instance, Biden looked and sounded old while he stammered and stumbled over key talking points, scaring off many Democratic Party loyalists and voters while heartening supporters of his rival Donald Trump.
“Biden is toast — calling it now,” New Hampshire Democratic Party apparatchik Jay Surdukowski told Politico.
Long plagued by rumors that Biden has some form of dementia, the chatter has heated up in recent days with the revelation that neurologist Kevin Cannard, a Parkinson’s disease specialist, had seen Biden three times, according to The Washington Post.
But the letter from the White House pushes back against the notion that Biden has been diagnosed with the progressive neurological condition.
Parkinson’s is characterized by tremors, poor posture and balance, slowed movements and stiff muscles, among other symptoms. There is no known cure, but there are drugs and various medical strategies such as physical therapy that can alleviate some symptoms.
Causes that can spark Parkinson’s include genetic changes and triggers in the environment. Men over 60 are at higher risk, and Biden is currently 81.
On social, some rebutted the focus on circumstantial evidence.
“As someone with a parent with Parkinson’s, let me offer a full-hearted FUCK YOU to anyone trying to use the disease to belittle Joe Biden,” wrote one user. “I’ve seen symptoms of the disease and Joe Biden exhibits none of them. Get the fuck outta here with your ableist, misdiagnosed bullshit.”
Even if he has no sign of Parkinson’s, there’s no debate that Biden has been appearing greatly diminished — a reality that isn’t making his supporters or strategists happy as he approaches a tough election cycle.
More on Parkinson’s disease: Biotech Company Says It’s Implanted Dopamine-making Cells in Patients’ Brains
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