Dr. Kevin O’Connor, the president’s personal doctor, invited a Washington D.C. neurologist to the White House in January for a meeting, the White House visitor logs show.
The New York Post discovered the meeting by reviewing the logs. In addition to Dr. Kevin Cannard, who is a Parkinson’s disease expert at Walter Reed Medical Center, two others convened in the White House residence clinic on Jan. 17, including cardiologist Dr. John E. Atwood of Walter Reed.
While national concerns swirl around Biden’s health, five Democrats in Congress have now come forward to tell the 81-year-old Biden to step aside from his reelection campaign. He continues to refuse.
Rep. Mary Peltola is not among those calling for Biden to drop. But ultimately, she’ll be given her instructions.
Last year, after the State of the Union Address, Peltola leaned on her Yupik background to excuse Biden: “In Yupik culture, we have deep respect for the wisdom of elders, and President Biden has used his experience to achieve bipartisan successes over the past two years.”
When Queen Elizabeth died, she also used the “elder” theme: “Yupiks honor our elders and hold them in the highest regard. Queen Elizabeth was the world’s premier elder. I’m mourning her passing today.”
In December, on Meet the Press, Peltola kept the theme going: “I really have a tremendous amount of respect for elders … I think that Joe Biden’s mental acuity is very, very on. He’s one of the smartest, sharpest people I’ve met in D.C. And as a Native person, I think age is a good thing. Wisdom and experience are a good thing. I think he leads with love and compassion, and I appreciate that in a leader.”
Three weeks later is when the Parkinson’s specialist showed up at the White House for a quiet meeting.
On Saturday, a seventh Democrat in the U.S. House effectively admitted that Biden can’t win. Minnesota Rep. Angie Craig posted her comments on X:
“As an elected leader, I feel a responsibility to be honest about what I believe, even when it’s hard to hear. President Biden is a good man & I appreciate his lifetime of service. But I believe he should step aside for the next generation of leadership,” Craig wrote. “This is not a decision I’ve come to lightly, but there is simply too much at stake to risk a second Donald Trump presidency. That’s why I respectfully call on President Biden to step aside as the Democratic nominee for a second term as President and allow for a new generation of leaders to step forward.”
In addition to Craig, Rep. Lloyd Dogged of Texas, Rep. Mike Quigley of Illinois, and Rep. Raul Grijalva of Arizona have said publicly that Biden must step aside, Two leaders of the Blue Dog Democrats — Rep. Jared Golden of Maine and Rep. Marie Gluesenkamp Perez, who have publicly said that Biden cannot win. Peltola, who co-chairs the Blue Dogs, has said nothing.
Yet, as the support crumbles around Biden, Alaskans may soon hear that “respect for elders” theme once again, as her staff crafts a message that will give her some plausible deniability.
After Biden’s disastrous performance at the debate with Donald Trump, Peltola remained in rural Alaska, campaigning in Kotzebue and Nome and walking in the Fourth of July parade in Ester, where she has supporters.
