After much national drama, President Joe Biden recently announced his withdrawal from the 2024 presidential race, a decision that has stirred various reactions across the political spectrum. Relief in some, regret in others; reportedly, mixed feelings from Trump and his supporters who are still trying to figure out how this will affect their candidate’s chances of winning now that he is “the old man in the race” and “the oldest candidate to ever run for the White House”. Moreover, many are questioning Trump’s own fitness for the job and this scrutiny will most likely continue to grow as a campaign issue now that the focus has shifted on the former president’s age.
The Harris campaign is jumping on the subject. “After watching Fox News this morning we only have one question, is Donald Trump ok?” they queried, adding that judging from his interview, the only conclusion to be drawn is that “Trump is old and quite weird” and that “this guy shouldn’t be president ever again.”
In a letter to the American people, Biden expressed his belief that stepping down was in the best interest of the country and his party, endorsing Vice President Kamala Harris as the Democratic nominee. One would think this would put an end to the GOP’s relentless attacks on Biden’s age and his mental fitness for the job. But that is not what has happened.
Instead, Republican figures have called for Biden’s immediate resignation from the presidency as well. On Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson stated, “If Joe Biden is not fit to run for President, he is not fit to serve as President. He must resign the office immediately. November 5 cannot arrive soon enough.” In response, Biden has stated his intention to focus on his duties as President for the remainder of his term.
The situation has led to a complex debate about presidential fitness, the implications of such a resignation, and the future of American politics as the nation approaches the upcoming election.
President Biden’s physician Dr. Kevin O’Connor has stepped into the fray, on Thursday defending his boss’ “excellent” mental acuity and insisting the president doesn’t have Parkinson’s or a related condition. This was O’Connor’s first interview with a news outlet since Biden took office in which he spoke about the President’s health.
When asked about the state of Biden’s health, O’Connor firmly replied, “It’s excellent.”
The reporter from The New York Post then asked about the main issue: “And how is his mental cognition?”
“It’s excellent,” the smiling doctor insisted.
“Is there a reason you didn’t perform a cognitive test on him?”
O’Connor had a ready answer: “We don’t need to. He’s here every day,”
O’Connor then reassured the reporters that no, there is no truth at all to any rumors of Biden suffering from Parkinson’s even though some medical experts have recently suggested the opposite.
“I could’ve diagnosed him from across the Mall,” neurologist Dr. Tom Pitts told NBC this month — calling Parkinson’s “one of the easier movement disorders to diagnose” and pointing specifically to Biden’s “rigidity,” “shuffling gait” and “slow movement.” He also cited apparent “hypophonia,” or using a “small, monotone voice … over time is a hallmark of Parkinson’s.”
Nevertheless, Dr. O’Connor is fully confident in Biden’s physical and mental fitness and reassured the reporter and the American people. Whether Republicans or Biden detractors will believe him is another matter.
