Fox News Politics: Biden’s ‘Big Boy Press Conference’
Welcome to Fox News’ Politics newsletter with the latest political news from Washington D.C. and updates from the 2024 campaign trail. What’s happening… -House passes bill requiring proof of citizenship to vote -Huge number of Democrats say Biden must step aside in new poll -Obama silent on reports that he’s pushing Biden out of the race Congressional lawmakers departed Washington, D.C., around noon on Thursday, hours before President Biden’s pivotal press conference, where the 81-year-old leader is tasked with fighting off concerns that he is not fit for another four years in office. Some Democrats were relatively muted in their responses to Fox News Digital on whether the president would do a good job at the press conference, while others insisted the president would pull it off. Republicans, who have long argued Biden is not mentally fit for office, largely said Biden would show more of the same signs of aging he showed at last month’s CNN Presidential Debate against former President Trump…Read more LONG TIME COMING: Biden’s last solo presser was held 8 months ago …Read more RARE REJECTION: Biden nominee blocked amid controversy over transgender inmate recommendation …Read more DIAGNOSIS: DENIAL: White House continues to spurn media requests to talk to Biden’s doc …Read more ‘NOT SURPRISING’: ‘Obama bro’ breaks silence about Biden’s mental fitness at Hollywood fundraiser after damaging Clooney op-ed …Read more ‘THIS IS CONCERNING’: Biden admin grilled over countries refusing to take back migrants …Read more ‘SAFEGUARD’: House passes bill requiring voters prove citizenship in federal elections …Read more ‘BIG BOY PRESS CONFERENCE’: Dems quiet on Biden’s NATO speech ahead of solo press conference …Read more FINE FAILS: House rejects bill to make Garland pay $10,000 per day for Biden-Hur audio tapes …Read more ‘REAL DISGRACE’: All but 5 Democrats undermined Democracy with just one vote last night: GOP Rep …Read more ‘CLOSER AND CLOSER’: Dem rep leaning towards urging Biden to drop out, would back Harris nomination or open convention …Read more TIED TO BIDEN: Battleground Dem feels heat after Biden’s debate as party turmoil continues …Read more ‘VERY STRONG STANCE’: Trump says Burgum’s pro-life record is an ‘issue’ for VP possibilities …Read more CRISIS OF CONFIDENCE: Huge majority of Democrats say Biden must step aside even as Biden-Trump horse race is tied: poll …Read more ‘NOTHING ELSE TO OFFER’: Trump campaign fires back at ‘fear-mongering’ Dem strategy in aftermath of disastrous Biden debate …Read more ‘SCHEDULING CONFLICT’: Battleground Dems skipping Biden adviser meeting as concerns over preisdent’s candidacy grow …Read more ‘GET OUT OF POLITICS’: Trump calls George Clooney a ‘rat’ for turning on President Biden …Read more CASH DRYING UP: Biden fundraising takes a big hit amid rising chorus of calls from Democrats for president to end re-election campaign …Read more ‘LAST WEEK OF EMPLOYMENT’: Trump roasts Biden with clip from Clooney movie after actor calls for new Dem nominee …Read more SAY IT AIN’T SO: Obama silent over reports he’s working ‘behind the scenes’ to force Biden out of the 2024 race …Read more ‘FESS UP’: Republican challenger calls on red state Dem to come clean on Biden …Read more ‘FACELESS LEVIATHAN’: Major SCOTUS decision praised by Republicans strips power of ‘unelected bureaucrats’ …Read more STRONG ARM OF THE LAW: Michael Cohen goes to the Supreme Court against Trump …Read more ‘BASICALLY A VEGETABLE’: Portnoy mocks Clooney for waiting to admit Biden’s ‘gone’ …Read more HOME OR AWAY?: California gov hit for putting state’s woes on backburner while barnstorming for Biden …Read more Subscribe now to get Fox News Politics newsletter in your inbox. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more on FoxNews.com.
Blumenthal says some concerns ‘deepened’ after meeting with Biden camp advisers
Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., said some of his concerns were “deepened” on Thursday, and he needs to see more from President Biden and his campaign to address the concerns about his candidacy in the November election against former President Trump. “I need to see more analytics and data that show a path to victory,” he told reporters after the special meeting with top Biden campaign advisers on Thursday. According to Blumenthal, “Some of my concerns are allayed. Some others have been deepened,” after the discussion at the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) with senior Biden advisers Mike Donilon and Steve Ricchetti, and campaign chair Jen O’Malley Dillon. DEM SENATOR HELPS BLOCK BIDEN JUDICIAL NOMINEE AMID CONTROVERSY OVER TRANSGENDER INMATE He explained that Biden’s solo press conference on Thursday evening at the conclusion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization summit will be “important” and “potentially a turning point.” “But it has to be more than one, more than just one press conference in a week,” he added. BATTLEGROUND DEMS TESTER, KAINE SKIP BIDEN CAMPAIGN MEETING AS 2024 FEARS GROW The event will notably be Biden’s first such solo news conference of 2024. “Joe Biden has to continue effectively and aggressively meeting the concerns of the American people,” Blumenthal said. The senator emphasized that Biden must do press conferences and interviews, similar to those he is “doing right now.” BATTLEGROUND DEM FEELS HEAT AFTER BIDEN’S DEBATE AS PARTY TURMOIL CONTINUES While he noted the concerns he still has, Blumenthal said, “as of now, he is the Democratic nominee. He has my support.” The Democratic senator also made a point to note that Biden must revive his campaign himself. “It can’t be done for him, his advisers or staff can’t do it for him,” he said of the changes the president needs to make. FIRST DEM SENATOR CALLS FOR BIDEN TO DROP OUT ‘FOR THE GOOD OF THE COUNTRY’ Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., who became the first Democratic senator to call on Biden to exit the race on Wednesday, attended the meeting at the DSCC as well. “This was an opportunity for the campaign to come and tell us where they’re at and for senators to ask questions [and] make comments,” he said afterward. When reporters asked if he now felt differently about Biden’s candidacy after hearing from the advisers, he said, “I’m where I’m at, you know.” He said in a Washington Post op-ed on Wednesday that he didn’t believe Biden was the best Democratic candidate to beat Trump. Also following the discussion, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., said, “The Biden campaign has got to be stronger and clear, not only in defending their own record, but in creating an agenda for the future, especially for the needs of the working class of this country.” A smiling Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., was asked by Fox News Digital if he was happy after the meeting. He responded that he is a “happy person” in general. Fox News’ Anne Marie Riha contributed to this report. Get the latest updates from the 2024 campaign trail, exclusive interviews and more at our Fox News Digital election hub
White House ‘cheap fake’ narrative crumbles after Clooney exposes Biden’s condition at Hollywood fundraiser
The narrative aggressively pushed by the Biden campaign and White House in recent weeks about President Biden, which included trying to quash concerns about his mental fitness by calling videos of him struggling “cheap fakes,” took a significant hit on Wednesday after a top Hollywood actor and former Obama aide spoke out. On Wednesday, actor George Clooney called on Biden to leave the 2024 race, citing what he witnessed at a Hollywood fundraiser in late June where the president was criticized for seemingly needing to be led off the stage by former President Obama. “It’s devastating to say it, but the Joe Biden I was with three weeks ago at the fund-raiser was not the Joe ‘big F-ing deal’ Biden of 2010. He wasn’t even the Joe Biden of 2020. He was the same man we all witnessed at the debate,” Clooney, a longtime friend of Obama, wrote. That conclusion was backed by former Obama speechwriter Jon Favreau, who attended the Hollywood fundraiser. WHAT IS VP HARRIS’ ROLE IN 25TH AMENDMENT AND HOW WOULD IT WORK TO REMOVE BIDEN?: EXPERTS “It was not surprising to any of us who were at the fundraiser,” said Favreau, a member of the group of staffers often referred to as the “Obama bros” during their tenure in the White House. “I was there. Clooney was exactly right, and every single person I talked to at the fundraiser thought the same thing, except for the people working for Joe Biden, or at least they didn’t say that.” JAMES CARVILLE DECLARES THAT BIDEN STILL RUNNING IS AN ‘IDIOTIC CHOICE’ FOR THE COUNTRY Favreau’s blunt comments come just a day after he joined two of his fellow advisers and members of the “Obama bros” in dedicating the majority of their latest “Pod Save America” episode to ganging up on Biden following his poor performance in the first presidential debate and in a subsequent interview. Immediately following the June 18 fundraiser where videos circulated of Biden being led off the stage by Obama, the Democratic Party along with the media launched a coordinated effort to dispel any questions about Biden’s age. “CLAIM: Biden froze onstage during his fundraiser in Los Angeles on Saturday night and had to be led away by Obama,” the Associated Press wrote. “THE FACTS: Biden paused amid cheers and applause as he exited the stage with his predecessor following an interview moderated by late-night host Kimmel.” White House spokesperson Andrew Bates described the moment as “the President taking in an applauding crowd for a few seconds.” Biden campaign spokesperson James Singer attributed the negative characterizations as a distraction tactic from those who “are so scared of losing to Joe Biden, they’ll make anything up to distract from the fact that their candidate for president, Donald Trump, has been convicted of 34 felonies, found liable for sexual assault, committed financial fraud, and only cares about himself.” In response to a question at a press briefing the following Monday about videos that have been edited to make Biden appear frail or confused, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called such footage “cheap fakes video” that are “done in bad faith.” She added that they demonstrate “everything that we need to know about how desperate, how desperate Republicans are here.” A source who helped organize, and attended, the fundraiser told the AP that there was nothing noteworthy about this moment and that Obama wanted to be “chummy” by walking offstage with Biden. Lewis Kay, a spokesperson for Jimmy Kimmel, who was also at the event, called the claims spreading online “nonsense.” “Attendees in the front were shouting at him, and President Biden was trying to hear them,” he wrote in an email to the AP. “It’s as simple as that.” Fox News Digital reached out to the White House and Biden campaign for comment but did not receive a response. Fox News Digital’s Brandon Gillespie and the Associated Press contributed to this report
Another House Dem calls for Biden to step down after debate performance: ‘Time to pass the torch’
Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Il., on Thursday joined a growing list of Democratic lawmakers publicly calling for President Biden to drop out of the presidential race after his debate performance late last month reignited doubts about his ability to serve as commander in chief. In a statement, Schneider praised Biden for his accomplishments while in office but said the time had come for the president to “heroically pass the torch to a new generation of leadership to guide us to the future he has enabled and empowered us to pursue.” Schneider invoked George Washington who, despite encouragement from his supporters, declined to run for a third term “for the good of the nation and the people.” BIDEN RESISTS MOUNTING PRESSURE TO STEP ASIDE “He knew when it was time to pass the torch,” Schneider said. “In passing the torch now, President Biden has a chance to live up to this standard and seal his place in history as one of the greatest leaders our nation, and history, has ever known. He can lead the transition of power to a new generation that can build a stronger party and a stronger nation. I fear if he fails to make the right choice, our democracy will hang in the balance.” Schneider is the 11th Democratic House lawmaker who has publicly called for Biden to step down following his catastrophic performance at the recent presidential debate. Biden’s top campaign aides have been working damage control with major donors, while the White House – and Biden himself – remain adamant that he is the right man to lead the party against former President Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee. Despite calls even from within his own party to drop out, Biden, 81, has refused to step aside. SECOND LOCAL RADIO HOST ADMITS TO GETTING QUESTIONS FROM BIDEN TEAM AHEAD OF INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT Twenty-three Democratic governors from across the nation descended on the White House last Wednesday evening to meet with the embattled president, but after the gathering, only Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, who leads the Democratic Governors Association, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul and Maryland Gov. Wes Moore spoke to reporters to express their support. Moore described the meeting with Biden as “honest” and “candid” and said the governors were “going to have his back.” Despite the concerns from Democrats, others within the party are still standing behind the president. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., recently said, “I don’t care what anybody says, it ain’t going to be no other Democratic candidate.” Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., has said, “I’ll do my best to get him elected.” Rep. Al Green of Texas has said, “I think that we need to move forward with Biden.” Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan, Danielle Wallace and Chris Pandolfo contributed to this report.
Biden camp addresses rumors advisers are hatching plan to push president aside
The White House and the Biden campaign “unequivocally” denied a report claiming a handful of President Biden’s longtime aides are working on a plan to convince the president to drop out of the 2024 presidential race. “Unequivocally, this is not true. President Biden’s team is strongly behind him,” White House spokesman Andrew Bates told Fox News Digital. The New York Times reported Thursday afternoon that a handful of aides and advisers that have long worked with Biden are convinced he will need to bow out of the 2024 race as concerns mount surrounding his health and age, and are working on a plan to convince him to drop out. “A small group of Mr. Biden’s advisers in the administration and the campaign – at least two of whom have told allies that they do not believe he should keep trying to run for a second term – have said they would have to convince the president of several things,” the report states. BIDEN’S ‘BIG BOY’ NATO NEWS CONFERENCE CARRIES HIGH STAKES AS FIRST PRESSER SINCE DISASTROUS DEBATE The report added that the Biden insiders have to convince him to drop out as he “remains convinced of the strength of his campaign.” The Biden campaign also denied the report in a comment to Fox Digital. “Patently false. This team stands with the president,” campaign spokesman TJ Ducklo told Fox News Digital. The New York Times report follows other media outlets claiming other Biden insiders are saying they don’t see a path forward for Biden following his botched debate performance against former President Trump late last month. NBC News, for example, reported Thursday: “Several of President Joe Biden’s closest allies, including three people who are directly involved in efforts to re-elect him, told NBC News they now see his chances of winning as zero – and the likelihood of him taking down fellow Democratic candidates growing.” The New York Times also ran a story Thursday claiming the Biden campaign is testing the viability of Vice President Kamala Harris running in place of Biden. “As President Biden faces mounting pressure over the future of his candidacy, his campaign is quietly testing the strength of Vice President Kamala Harris against former President Donald J. Trump in a survey of voters, according to three people informed about the effort,” the New York Times reported. Concerns surrounding Biden’s health and mental fitness are at a fever pitch this summer, as some Democrats call on him to quit the presidential race following his disastrous debate against Trump last month. Biden has bucked calls to drop out, vowing to remain in the race as his campaign and the White House ramp up his number of public events in an apparent effort to quell concerns the president isn’t up for another four-year term in the Oval Office. Biden is expected to hold a news conference on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. after hosting NATO leaders in Washington, D.C., this week. The press conference is highly-anticipated, with lawmakers sounding off that the presser will serve as an “ultimate test.” DEMOCRATS, MEDIA DEMAND BIDEN DO MORE INTERVIEWS, PRESS CONFERENCES AMID DEBATE FALLOUT “Just as all of his public appearances go on, it will be very interesting to see him do what they themselves have called a big boy press conference. Look, it’s been the biggest political cover up, probably in the history of the country,” House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., previously told Fox News Digital when asked about the press conference. “I think the more public appearances and speeches he does, the more that will put that on vivid display. And I think there’s a lot to answer.” The media have dubbed the press conference a “big boy press conference,” with the president fielding questions from the media solo. It marks Biden’s first solo press conference of the year and the first time he will speak to the media at a presser since the debate on June 27, Fox News found. Since Biden’s disastrous debate performance, Democrats and the media have repeatedly said that if Biden remains in the race, he needs to hold more interviews and press conferences. NATO SUMMIT IN DC IS ‘PIVOTAL’ MAKE-OR-BREAK MOMENT FOR BIDEN AS SCRUTINY OVER FITNESS FOR OFFICE INTENSIFIES “The only way for him and the campaign to respond is not by talking to senators or governors, because this is not a tell-me situation. It’s a show-me situation,” Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., told CNN last Wednesday. “So he’d have to be out and about in the hurly-burly of a campaign, open-ended press conferences with folks like you, engagements with voters that are unscripted.” Biden did sit down for an interview with ABC’s George Stephanopolos that aired on July 5, but the interview did little to quell mounting concerns over the president’s mental acuity and age, most notably when Biden repeatedly dodged whether he would take a cognitive test. BIDEN SAYS ‘WORLD’S LOOKING TO AMERICA’ AS HE FACES SCRUTINY BEFORE HOSTING NATO SUMMIT “Have you had the specific cognitive tests, and have you had a neurologist, a specialist, do an examination?” Stephanopoulos asked. “No, no one said I had to.… They said I’m good,” Biden responded. Stephanopoulos pressed Biden a third time on taking a cognitive or neurological test and whether he would release the results of such a test to the public. The president, however, brushed off the question again. BIDEN ‘WORKING THE PHONES’ IN BATTLE TO SAVE RE-ELECTION BID, WITH DEMOCRATS STARTING TO RETURN TO HIS CAMP “Look, I have a cognitive test every single day,” Biden said. “Every day I have that test. Everything I do. You know, not only am I campaigning, but I’m running the world. Sounds like hyperbole, but we are the central nation in the world.” Biden did deliver a strong NATO speech on Tuesday, but praise from fellow Democrats was few and far between. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said in an interview the following day that Democrats are keeping their thoughts on Biden quiet “until we
Biden’s staunchest supporters featured prominently among potential successors
Prominent Democrats being floated as replacements for President Biden as their party’s nominee are defending his candidacy despite other members of the party calling on him to step down. Biden is facing calls from nearly a dozen Democratic lawmakers to step down as the 2024 nominee following his damaging performance at the first presidential debate. While many Democrats are voicing concerns over his ability to serve, several lawmakers being named as potential Biden replacements should he step down are amplifying their support for the president. Democrats Gov. Gavin Newsom of California, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer of Michigan, Gov. Andy Beshear of Kentucky, Gov. J.B. Pritzker of Illinois and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg have all shown support for Biden’s re-election efforts since being named as potential candidates to replace Biden. FETTERMAN DOUBLES DOWN ON SUPPORT FOR BIDEN AMID CALLS FOR HIM TO WITHDRAW: ‘HE’S BEEN A GREAT PRESIDENT’ “@JoeBiden is in it to win it, and I’m damn proud to support him,” Whitmer wrote in a post on X Wednesday. Whitmer defended the president several times after the debate and most recently suggested on CNN that it wouldn’t hurt for Biden to take a cognitive test to address concerns about his mental competency. HUGE MAJORITY OF DEMOCRATS SAY BIDEN MUST STEP ASIDE EVEN AS BIDEN-TRUMP HORSE RACE IS TIED: POLL Newsom hit the campaign trial for Biden after the debate, telling voters the president has the energy to serve another term as president. “I was asked and tasked by President Biden, proudly, to fly from California to Georgia to represent the campaign right after that debate,” Newsom recently told supporters at a Van Buren Dems BBQ for Biden-Harris in Michigan. Newsom joined 20 Democratic governors in a private meeting with Biden at the White House just days after the debate, which he claims eased concerns over the president’s fitness. “It could have gone two or three hours,” Newsom said of the meeting. “And I mean this with absolute conviction. That was the Joe Biden I remember from two weeks ago. That was the Joe Biden that I remember from two years ago. That’s the Joe Biden that I’m looking forward to re-electing as president of the United States.” Pritzker also voiced support for Biden this week amid growing backlash over the debate. “I’m not engaging in hypotheticals. You can see that I’m all in for Joe Biden,” he said. “Joe Biden is going to be the nominee of the Democratic Party. I’m gonna go out there and wholeheartedly campaign for him.” Pritzker added that Biden is “of course” physically and mentally fit to serve. Beshear told reporters that while the president did not perform well at the debate, he is still supporting his re-election bid. “The debate performance was rough. It was a very bad night for the president, but he is still the candidate. Only he can make decisions about his future candidacy. So, as long as he continues to be in the race, I support him,” Beshear said. Buttigieg told Spectrum News in an interview after the debate that, despite any concerns, Biden remains a “focused and disciplined leader.” Gov. Josh Shapiro of Pennsylvania, another candidate mentioned as a potential replacement for Biden, played a slightly different tune and suggested Biden needs to make his case to the American people that he can win in November. “The president has a responsibility to reassure the good people of Pennsylvania and the people of this country that he can defeat Donald Trump,” Shapiro told Axios in a statement. Vice President Kamala Harris is considered the top candidate to step in and replace Biden should he be replaced as the nominee. Despite growing calls to drop out of the race, Biden has made several public declarations that he will not step aside.
Stacey Abrams rejects Biden concerns, says no Joe voters will flip to ‘bombastic, fascistic liar’ Trump
High-profile Democrat Stacey Abrams joined the few in her party who have broken their silence on President Biden’s candidacy, saying she is fully behind the incumbent while doubting the debate fallout will change liberal minds. Abrams, a former Georgia State House minority leader who famously refused to concede her loss to Gov. Brian Kemp in the 2018 election, said no one on the left is suddenly fleeing Biden’s camp for Trump. “The anti-Biden doom loop feels loud right now, but it is largely a phenomenon among those who obsessively follow the news or want to make the news,” Abrams wrote in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Most of the voters Biden has won and needs to win again already know his foibles, and they aren’t turning in droves to say, ‘I’m now voting for the bombastic fascistic liar’.” GEORGIA GOV. KEMP SLAMS STACEY ABRAMS AS ‘BIGGEST FLIP-FLOPPER SINCE JOHN KERRY’ REGARDING GEORGIA BOYCOTTS Trump has slammed Abrams multiple times in the past, including in regard to a so-called “consent decree” between Georgia officials and Abrams-aligned political activists regarding ballot signature matching procedures in 2020. The former president, however, has also obliquely praised Abrams when lashing out at Kemp; the rare conservative he has publicly criticized. “Of course, having [Abrams] I think might be better than having your existing governor, if you want to know the truth,” Trump quipped during a 2021 rally in Perry, Georgia. In her comments, Abrams said the Trump-Biden debate fallout has concentrated on “performance versus principle.” STACEY ABRAMS ONCE-POWERFUL VOTING RIGHTS GROUP FACES MASSIVE LAYOFFS, MILLIONS IN DEBT “Good people stumble. Liars lie,” Abrams said. “In the face of the latter, we have become myopically fascinated because, for some, soothing anxiety seems easier than confronting the slow-motion death of democracy.” Abrams argued that, among the two contenders, Biden is the only one who does not pose a threat to America’s institutions. She called Trump a “self-serving felon” who embodies “dictatorial tendencies” that outweigh any concerns about Biden. Abrams went on to call for Biden to stay in the White House and remain in the presidential race, arguing that starting fresh this late in the game could weaken Democrats’ message and supplant a man with a “significant national record.” CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP “Let’s be clear: The wishful benefits of a contested convention or a late-stage exit are vastly outweighed by the potential harm. President Joe Biden has the integrity, moral character and record needed to beat Donald Trump in November,” Abrams said. “Our path to victory lies in standing by Biden and understanding the high stakes of this election.” Abrams unsuccessfully ran against Kemp in 2022, but conceded soon after the election. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment for purposes of this story.
Who is Parkinson’s expert Dr. Cannard and why did he visit the White House 8 times?
Concerns over President Biden’s health are at a fever pitch following his disastrous debate performance against former President Trump, which has only been compounded by reports showing a neurological specialist repeatedly visited the White House during the 46th president’s administration. Parkinson’s disease specialist Dr. Kevin Cannard visited the White House eight times across an eight-month span between July 2023 through March of this year, heightening concerns surrounding Biden’s mental acuity and health – concerns that have been mounting for years. The White House, however, has repeatedly downplayed concerns over the visits, arguing the White House Medical Unit is composed of many different health professionals who frequent 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue and that Cannard only saw Biden for his annual physicals. Cannard describes himself on his LinkedIn page as a “Neurology specialist supporting the White House Medical Unit” who has worked in various capacities at Walter Reed Hospital in Bethesda, Maryland, since 1998. The Maryland-based doctor was thrust into the spotlight after news broke of his repeated visits to the White House last week, with Cannard previously maintaining a low profile outside the medical world. “[Cannard’s] practice encompasses both general neurology as well as movement disorders as part of the residency training program at Walter Reed,” a biography for Cannard on a networking platform for medical professionals reads. “He has over 30 years of experience in the use of botulinum toxin for the treatment of movement disorders, spasticity, and pain syndromes to include headache. The first 20 years of his medical career was spent on active duty in the U.S. Army, retiring as a Colonel in 2008. He has been a civilian physician at Walter Reed ever since.” WHO IS WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN DR. KEVIN O’CONNOR AND WHAT ARE HIS CLOSE TIES TO THE BIDEN FAMILY? Cannard has also made a handful of small donations to the Biden campaign stretching back to 2020, and totaling $3,300, federal election records show. On Monday during the White House press briefing, press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre was pressed by the media during a fiery exchange to speak to whether the eight visits were related specifically to Biden’s health. Jean-Pierre, instead, refused to confirm Cannard by name. She did confirm a neurologist had examined Biden three times for his three yearly physicals since taking office. ”They’re in the White House visitor logs. It’s public. I looked it up before I came out here. It is right there for anyone to see,” CBS News reporter Ed O’Keefe said Monday in the presser when questioning the press secretary about Cannard being listed eight times on White House visitor logs. COMER REVEALS WHITE HOUSE PHYSICIAN WAS INVOLVED IN BIDEN FAMILY BUSINESS DEALS, DEMANDS HE TESTIFY “I cannot from here confirm any of that because we have to keep their privacy. I think they would appreciate that too,” Jean-Pierre said. “The patient or the doctor?” O’Keefe asked. “We have to keep their privacy,” Jean-Pierre replied. “It is public,” NBC News correspondent Kelly O’Donnell jumped in to say, while O’Keffe added, “you’re going to allow this to fester longer, Karine, unless the White House just answers the question.” PARKINSON’S DISEASE SPECIALIST MET WITH PRESIDENT BIDEN PHYSICIAN IN WHITE HOUSE By Monday evening, Biden’s White House physician, Dr. Kevin O’Connor, released a statement clarifying that Cannard visited the White House three times for Biden’s annual physicals. He said Cannard was chosen for Biden’s annual physicals “not because he is a movement disorder specialist, but because he is a highly trained and highly regarded neurologist here at Walter Reed and across the Military Health System, with a very wide expertise which makes him flexible to see a variety of patients and problems.” The letter added that Biden did not see a neurologist outside his annual physicals. BIDEN’S PHYSICIAN SAYS NEUROLOGIST VISITED WHITE HOUSE AS PART OF ANNUAL EXAMINATIONS No signs of neurological disorders, such as Parkinson’s disease, multiple sclerosis, ascending lateral sclerosis, stroke or cervical myelopathy, were found during Biden’s physical in February, O’Connor said. Jean-Pierre was grilled yet again on Tuesday about Cannard’s visits, where she erroneously said one of the meetings this year was not related to Biden’s health. “Can you say whether that one meeting [between Cannard and O’Connor] was related to care for the president himself?” the AP asked Jean-Pierre during the press briefing Tuesday. “I can say that it was not,” Jean-Pierre responded. The press secretary backtracked later Tuesday that Cannard’s Jan. 17 meeting at the White House was in fact related to Biden’s health, specifically related to the president’s yearly physical. CRITICISMS MOUNT THAT BIDEN IS A ‘SHADOW’ OF HIMSELF AFTER DISASTROUS DEBATE: ‘NOT THE SAME MAN’ FROM VP ERA “Because the date was not mentioned in the question, I want to be clear that the Jan. 17 meeting between [presidential physician] Dr. [Kevin] O’Connor and Dr. Cannard was for the President’s physical,” Jean-Pierre told The Associated Press. “It was one of the three times the President has seen Dr. Cannard, each time for his physical. The findings from each exam have been released to the public,” Jean-Pierre added. When asked if it would be typical if another doctor, such as a dermatologist or cardiologist, visited the White House eight times in eight months, an administration spokesman directed Fox Digital to Jean-Pierre’s comments earlier this week highlighting that the White House Medical Unit also oversees military personnel at the White House. “There are thousands of military personnel so you also have an understanding because there are thir- – a thousand military personnel that comes here and that not just comes here but under the care of the medical unit. Right? They get – they get care from the White House Medical Unit. They – there tends to be dermatologist from – or dermatologist to neurolog- – neurologists who come through here – who come through here because the White House Medical Unit is i- – indeed caring for folks,” she said, according to the official transcript. Concern over Biden’s mental sharpness swelled last month, when he delivered a botched debate performance
Hungary’s Orban ditches NATO summit to meet with Donald Trump
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban departed the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., on Thursday to meet with Donald Trump in Florida, a source familiar with the meeting told Fox News Digital. The New York Times first broke the story, citing a Trump campaign official and a person close to the former president. The report did not indicate what the pair would discuss at this impromptu meeting, but Orban has crisscrossed the globe over the past week after assuming the role as president of the European Union. Orban arrived in the U.S. this week to attend the multi-day NATO summit, which celebrates the 75th anniversary of the organization’s founding and occurs at a time when members remain concerned about Russia’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine and what the future holds for the broader European Union. Hungary’s presidency will last six months as part of a rotating leadership scheme for the bloc and does not provide much actual power, but Orban wasted no time in using that office to start holding discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping before his meeting with Trump. NATO SUMMIT IN WASHINGTON, DC SHIELDS WORLD LEADERS FROM CRIME THREATS IN NATION’S CAPITAL Orban has long admired Trump, going so far as to invoke the former president with a quip that Hungary would “make Europe great again,” and Trump met with Orban at Mar-a-Lago in March when trying to court foreign policy in the U.S. During an interview with German journalist and author Paul Ronzheimer, Orban said that there is a “very, very high chance that the next American president will be not the same president who is today,” and he refused to be drawn on questions about President Biden’s fitness for office. The rest of Europe has remained less than enamored with Orban, though, especially in light of his foreign visit blitz in the past 10 days. An EU diplomat confirmed to Fox News Digital that a majority of member states already have considerably lowered the level of participation in the informal council meetings that will be held in Hungary during the presidency term. WHITE HOUSE OFFICIAL HOPES BIDEN EMBARASSES HIMSELF AT NATO SUMMIT SO HE CAN BE FORCED OUT: REPORT In some capitals, also, officials have discussed how to use EU treaties to limit Orban’s impact. The diplomat argued that “EU institutions should not have fallen into Orban’s trap in the first place, and Hungary should not have been allowed to assume the role of the presidency.” “The EU legislation shall be used to protect the Union and the unity, not the imaginary idea of imagined unity,” the diplomat said. Orban’s visit to Russia shocked many of his peers, leading European Union Foreign Policy chief Josep Borrell to rush out a statement stressing that Orban has no mandate from the union in discussions with foreign leaders and that he is “not representing the EU in any form” during the visits. ZELENSKYY SAYS PUTIN ‘HATES’ BIDEN AND TRUMP, TIME FOR ‘STRONG DECISIONS’ Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo described Orban’s visit to Putin as “disturbing” news, writing on social media platform X that the visit shows “disregard for the duties of the EU presidency and undermines interests of the European Union.” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis wrote on social media platform X that “Mr. Orban might be abusing the position of the EU presidency, but what he is certainly not doing is representing either NATO or the EU.” “He does not speak for my country or any country except his own,” Landsbergis stressed. A spokesman for the Trump campaign did not respond to a Fox News Digital request for comment by the time of publication.
Trump ex Marla Maples responds to vice presidency talk: I’m ‘open… to serve’
Former President Trump’s second wife announced she may be interested in entering the limelight once again, this time to support her ex-husband’s second run for the White House. In a tell-all interview with the United Kingdom’s London Evening Standard newspaper, Marla Maples indicated she is at a point in her life when she is ready to “step out more.” “I’ve been in the caregiving mode. Now my mother and father have each passed, and my daughter’s happily married. It’s time I can really be more on point with what I may be called to do,” Maples said. When the Evening Standard asked about her ambition to help at the level of being Trump’s running mate, she said first that it’s her ex-husband’s call. TRUMP SON-IN-LAW MICHAEL BOULOS MEETS WITH DOZENS OF ARAB-AMERICAN LEADERS IN EFFORT TO CURRY FAVOR “I’m open,” the North Georgia native replied. “I’m open to whatever way I can serve.” Maples, 60, said the entire Trump family is figuring out how they can help the patriarch. The Trump campaign did not respond to a request for comment when asked about Maples. Maples went on to say she has never been a fan of politics, due to its penchant to divide people. However, she also said she is not afraid of negative outcomes brought on by speaking out. She noted that Tiffany Trump, her daughter, helped the former president in his prior presidential bids. Her role as a mother at the time, she said, was to give Tiffany “strength.” ALL IN THE FAMILY: TRUMP KIN TO REPRESENT FLORIDA AT RNC Tiffany’s husband, Michael Boulos, has also lent a hand this cycle by working to curry favor with dozens of Arab American leaders in Michigan – a key state in 2024. Boulos’ father is Lebanese billionaire Massad Boulos. Maples went on to say she believes Trump is innocent of civil allegations from advice columnist E. Jean Carroll that have cost him millions of dollars in damages. “I do know my daughter’s father well enough to know that he’s never had to push himself on another person. He’s always had women throw themselves on him instead,” Maples said of charges Trump sexually assaulted Carroll in Bergdorf-Goodman’s in the mid-1990s. As for Trump’s other New York trial, Maples suggested the country has bigger issues than any hush money paid to Stormy Daniels. “They love these little sexy stories. We have a country that is failing. Our cities are not protected…” Maples said. “That’s more important than having these lawsuits that are not affecting any of us today.” Maples’ relationship with her ex-husband has had its ups and downs. She notably made the coveted cover of the New York Post in 1990 with the captioned quote: “Best Sex I’ve Ever Had” – a reference to her affair with the former president while he was married to Ivana Trump. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP Ivana, who ended up with a $14 million divorce settlement from Trump, went on to blame Maples for the collapse of their marriage. Ivana Trump died in 2022. Maples and Trump married in 1993 and divorced in 1999. Tiffany was born the year they wed.