Biden should undergo ‘detailed cognitive and movement disorder testing,’ Sanjay Gupta says
Gupta said low sleep, low blood sugar levels, or illness could have contributed to his debate performance.
President Joe Biden should undergo “detailed cognitive and movement disorder testing” and share the results of those tests with the public, CNN’s chief medical correspondent says.
Sanjay Gupta, a neurosurgeon who frequently appears on TV, wrote in a piece published Friday that he and several medical colleagues had observed concerning signs during Biden’s debate with former President Donald Trump that merit a closer look at Biden’s health. Gupta said the symptoms he saw include Biden’s halting speech, quiet voice, slack-jawed appearance, and inability to finish some sentences while on the debate stage.
“Are we looking at episodes of something? Or is this a condition that should be more fully investigated? And it really seems to be more of the latter,” Gupta said Friday on CNN.
He added that the current level of information disclosed about Biden’s health is not sufficient to make a diagnosis from afar. But — after a “concerning” performance at the debate — Gupta and other brain doctors concurred that the president should receive a detailed examination of his judgment, memory, and other risk factors.
“Back in 2020, Biden said he was ‘constantly tested’ by the work of running for president. ‘All you’ve got to do is watch me,’ he said then,” Gupta noted. “The country is watching now, and that assessment gives cause for concern — and a need for transparent testing.”
The call for testing from doctors in Gupta’s circle comes amid a crisis of confidence in Biden’s viability to run for president, beat Trump in November, and serve in office until he is 86, sparked by a performance last week where Biden had a raspy voice and gave several incomplete answers. Gupta’s analysis is the latest in a wave of intense commentary in the media about Biden’s age and scrutiny of the White House’s disclosures about his health.
“It wasn’t that what we noticed was necessarily new but that it was particularly pronounced, and right from the start of the debate,” Gupta wrote, noting that Trump has also previously rambled during remarks and confused names or events.
Gupta added that low sleep, low blood sugar levels, or illness could have contributed to his appearance, but testing would help make clear the true explanation for the “symptoms displayed” by Biden. He added that understanding the “possibility of underlying dementia” would ultimately benefit Biden, as early diagnosis and treatment has improved in recent years.
Biden has not been diagnosed with a cognitive disorder, and he took an “extremely detailed” neurologic exam during his annual physical, his doctor said in February. That exam, which also found no symptoms of Parkinson’s, described the president as fit to perform his duties. It noted that he was being treated for several ailments consistent with his age, as well as a stiffer gait.
While Biden told a meeting of Democratic governors this week that he had received a medical check up for a cold after the debate, previous reports on his health have not mentioned any cognitive tests. But the president is seeking to reassure voters about his condition with a series of public appearances this weekend — including a highly anticipated sit-down with ABC News that will air Friday.