The White House repeatedly dodged questions about whether frequent visits by a Parkinson’s expert were for the president.
A heated press briefing descended into shouting at times as Karine Jean-Pierre, the press secretary, pushed back at questions over revelations that Dr Kevin Cannard, a neurologist, visited the White House eight times in eight months.
Despite official visitor logs showing the visits, Ms Jean-Pierre refused to confirm or elaborate on Dr Cannard’s visits.
She said she wanted to respect the privacy of all involved for “security reasons” as she was frequently challenged by reporters.
She said Mr Biden had seen a neurologist three times connected to his annual physical exam.
Biden not being treated for Parkinson’s
She did not explain Dr Cannard’s presence at the White House, but similarly suggested it might be connected to treating some of the military personnel who work at the White House complex.
“There are thousands of military personnel that come to the White House and they are under the care of the medical unit,” she said.
She said that Mr Biden is not being treated for Parkinson’s disease and has not seen a neurologist outside of his annual physicals.
Concerns that Mr Biden might be suffering from an undisclosed illness have risen since he appeared to lose his train of thought at times during his June 27 debate against Donald Trump.